Children of War
by Ghost of the Dawn
Summary: Rumors of a new war begin. But will any of the Gundam Pilots fight without their Gundams? If there was a second season to Gundam Wing. I like to think it might happen this way.
1. Chapter 1: Rumors of War

Gundam Wing: Children of War

By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter One: Rumors of War

It was a beautiful day. The sun shined merrily in a cloudless sky, selflessly shedding its life giving rays over the peaceful Cinq Kingdom. A cool spring breeze danced in from the high mountains and teased the ends of Relena Peacecraft's long pony tail as she jogged at a moderate pace down one of the many tree lined sidewalks. Dressed in a light green T-shirt and loose, grey shorts, she was a familiar sight to the people of that area as she made her way along the path she took every morning.

Relena was never much of a health and exercise nut. She recently took up the jogging habit because she found it an excellent way to help relieve all the political pressure she had been feeling lately. Even though she just recently turned nineteen, the stress of ruling a kingdom and serving as a political ambassador of Earth still got overwhelming for her at times. Exercise, she discovered, was an excellent way to relieve that stress and it also gave her a chance for some quiet time to help clear her head. Now if only she could find some time where she could be completely alone...

Relena glanced back at the ever present body guards it was insisted she have. Two men in their late twenties huffed as they tried to keep up with her while looking indiscrete at the same time. She mentally sighed at this. Was there really need for all this security? Just once she would like to have some free time of her own, away from everything. But no matter where she went, there were those body guards as an ever present reminder that she could never escape her responsibilities.

The labored breathing behind her was becoming louder. They were getting tired. But the Peacecraft estate wasn't far ahead. Relena quickened her pace as they neared the grounds of her home. She sprinted the last few yards to the main gate. Quite winded from her race, Relena paced around the front of the estate, slowly coaxing her breathing down to a regular rythem while she waited for her two bodyguards to catch up. Puffing heavily, the two older men finally reached the finish line and nearly collapsed from their strenuous ordeal.

Relena simply smiled at them. This is what happened when she never got the same jogging partners day after day. She patted the nearest body guard on his sweaty shoulders.

"Good job you guys. I'm just going to head over to the gazebo now to catch my breath."

"Don't puff, puff wait on our account puff Miss Peacecraft," one of the bodyguards manage to say.

Relena simply smiled again and made her way across the well kept lawn to the stylish white gazebo kept in front of the Peacecraft mansion. The rose bushes planted around it were in full bloom and Relena took the time to admire them. She pressed her nose against one of the velvety flowers and breathed in its pacifying scent. She was so engrossed in the wonderful odors she didn't see the figure creep up behind her. A strong hand grabbed her shoulder while the other hand went over her mouth and pulled her close to a large body.

Relena tried to scream and struggle from her captor's grip.

"Don't move," a male voice threatened.

A brief moment of panic ran through her. But it disappeared just as quickly when out of the corner of her eye, Relena saw the swishing tail end of a long, dark braid.

"DUO!" Relena practically screamed as she pulled the hand from her mouth.

The grasp on her instantly loosened and Relena was finally free to turn around and face her attacker.

"Hey, you remember me, I'm impressed," Duo said with his trademark grin. "It's been a long time. You look good."

By now, Relena's two bodyguards were aware of the commotion. Though still winded from their earlier run, they were now making their way to the gazebo with their guns in hand.

"It's alright," Relena called to them. "He's a friend of mine."

The two bodyguards slowly lowered their weapons though they didn't look too convinced. Neither one liked how Duo smirked at them, as if he knew something they didn't.

"I said it's okay," Relena insisted. "Now go on." She shooed the two men away.

"Woa, what's with all the security, Miss Peacecraft?" Duo wanted to know. "Having armed body guards now? That doesn't sound like you."

Relena nodded. "They were Commander Girmaud's idea."

"Commander who?"

"Miss Noin put him in charge of all the Cinq Kingdom's military issues," Relena explained. "Come."

She led the way under the gazebo so she and her old acquaintance could have some privacy.

Relena took a seat on the porch swing which was stationed there while Duo remained content to lean against the opposite wall. In the silence that followed, Relena took the opportunity to study the young man across from her. During the war that had occurred almost three years ago she hardly had a chance to get to know Duo, even if they did attend the same school for a while. It had been almost as long since she had seen him last. He was taller now and quite thin. Dressed in black pants and a jacket over a red shirt, Duo no longer sported the rolled up sleeves look as the hem now went past his wrists. Relena idly wondered why he insisted on wearing such warm clothes in this weather.

Duo's face had also changed. He did look older even though he managed to maintain that boyish grin and those large, innocent looking eyes of his. But his hair was still the same, long strands hanging over his eyes with his trademark braid still swinging down around his thighs. Relena smiled. Even after all this time, she could never forget that braid of his.

Little did the young foreign minister know, while she was sizing up Duo, he was doing the same thing to her. Duo reflected on how mature she looked now. Her features has become more distinguished and feminine with lips full and eyes bright. Even in her jogging clothes he could see that she had filled out in all the right places. There was a more commanding, yet casual presence about her now. Duo still couldn't believe it had been almost three years. The young girl he had once met was turning into a beautiful woman.

"I thought for sure I had seen the last of you Duo Maxwell," Relena said, breaking the silence.

Duo shrugged. "Yeah, well life never goes the way we planned. I just happened to be in the neighborhood so I thought I'd stop by and see what you were up to."

"Oh? What is it that brings you out here then? I was under the impression you and the others had all gone back to the colonies."

Another shrug from Duo. "For the past year I've been floating around up in space, working on resource satellites and what not. A few of us lowly workers were just sent down to Earth to pick up some supplies we needed. And I figured, since our docking base was so close that I thought I'd take a personal break and pay you a visit."

Relena smiled at this. "I'm glad you did Duo, I hardly ever have time for visitors."

"Yeah, I can imagine," Duo chuckled as he made his way over to sit next to her on the swing. "I heard things were starting to get a little hairy in the political department."

"Oh, you have no idea," Relena replied. She pulled her hair out of it's pony tail and shook her head to let the breeze reach to her scalp. "There's all these rumors going on now days. Conspiratorial societies planning wars, colonies secretly building up their militaries, Earth's secret plot to control the colonists, the list goes on. Everyone is starting to get scared again." Relena paused to let out a heavy sign. "Sometimes it feels like the whole thing is starting all over. I was supposed to attend a political party up in one of the colonies tomorrow but Commander Grimaud is making me stay to attend a military conference about whether or not we should start sending troops out to space to keep an eye on things."

Duo stiffened and his eyes grew larger at the statement. "WHAT? You can't do that! What are those idiots thinking? That's what started a war in the first place!"

"I know, I know," Relena sighed. "But everyone is so afraid another war is going to break out. People are desperately seeking out ways in which they still feel like they're in control. I just hope this conference won't result in anything too drastic."

Duo folded his arms over his chest and nodded his head a little. His lips were pressed in a thin line as he brooded over the matter. Possibilities of another war so soon? He was still trying to get over the last one. Duo just didn't know if he or the others could handle another war.

Relena studied the dark cloud that seemed to settle over the young man's face and instantly felt guilty. She knew that was the last thing he ever wanted to hear. Though she could never fully understand what he and the other pilots had gone through, Relena hoped and prayed that not only the gundam pilots, but everyone would never have to see the horrors of war again. Maybe she could do better by changing the subject.

"Do you still keep in touch with that girl, what was her name...Hilda?"

"Hilde," Duo corrected. "I used to. We sure were close friends for a while. She was always happy to let me crash at her place whenever I needed it. Heck, we even lived together for several months. We had this plan to open our own shop and everything but..." Duo trailed off and looked down at his sleeve. "But it didn't work out. I moved out about a year ago and haven't seen or heard from her since."

Relena frowned at the story. She had meant to cheer him up, not bring him down more. The ex-gundam pilot was now fiddling nervously with his jacket sleeves, as if trying to hide his entire hands in them. Not only did Duo seem depressed now, but she could see something else in his eyes. Some deep dark pain that he was trying to hide from her. Something had happened to him during that time.

Relena wished there was something she could do to help, but in all reality, she still hardly new him. She just hoped Duo had a good friend out there with whom he could talk to. Besides, there was still a more important question she needed to ask.

"Do you know how Heero's been doing?"

Duo looked up as a crooked grin pulled at the side of his mouth. "I was wondering when you were going to ask me that. Suicide Boy and I bunked for a while after we disposed of our Gundams. Then one day, he just up and disappears. That's when I went and mooched off of Hilde for a time. Haven't heard from him since either. Sorry."

Relena smiled sadly. "It's okay. I should have realized Heero was the kind that never wanted to be found. I just hope where ever he is that he's happy."

Duo patted her shoulder sympathetically. "Me too."

Another stretch of silence occurred as each wrestled with their own thoughts. Relena once again was the first to break it.

"I'm glad you stopped by Duo," she said softly. "It's nice to be able to forget my responsibilities. Even if it's just for a while. And I really needed a break today."

"Get's pretty rough sometimes, huh?"

Relena nodded. "Sometimes I wish I could just drop it all and never come back. Maybe if my brother were here to help it would have been different. But he refuses to have any part with the Cinq Kingdom and my ideals. I think he still blames himself for what he did on Libra. And now, everyone keeps coming up with all these new ideas and it keeps getting harder and harder to defend my old fashioned views as a pacifist."

Duo smiled warmly and gave her a small squeeze around the shoulders. "Keep your chin up kiddo, you can get through this. Pacifist or not, you're a fighter just like the rest of us. A soldier of peace, if you will."

"Soldier of peace..." Relena turned the phrase over on her tongue. She liked the taste of it. "Thanks Duo."

"Well," Duo suddenly announced as he jumped to his feet.. "I think it's time I took off before the guys back at the base miss me too much. Catcha later Relena!"

Like a certain dark haired, blue eyed pilot before him, Relena wanted to run after Duo and beg him not to leave. It was so seldom she got the chance to have conversations with regular people. Not political discussions with opinionated old men. She had found Duo's company to be light and nonjudgmental. She encountered that so seldom these days. Now something inside her wanted to beg, even demand that he come back and visit with her longer. But she knew she couldn't do that.

"If you're ever in town again, don't hesitate to stop by," was all she could manage to say.

"Count on it," Duo called back.

"And if you ever happen to run into Heero, tell him..." Relena paused. Tell him what? That she missed him? That she still thought about him every day? That she loved him?

"Tell him that I asked about him."

Duo paused long enough to smile at her. "I'll do that."

And with a swish of his long braid, he turned and disappeared out the front gate.

Relena remained where she was a moment longer, gazing the direction he went as if expecting Duo to come back at any second. A reminiscent smile tugged at her lips. Almost three years since she had last seen Heero Yuy. Three very long years. She still thought about him often, though she was sure he never thought twice about her again. But still, she wondered where he was and what he was doing. Was he different now? How much of him had stayed the same? Relena looked skyward as she often did when thinking about him and wondered if she would ever get the chance to find out.

* * *

Far off on the L4 colony, Quatre Reberba Winner shifted agitatedly in his overly plushed leather chair. His large oaken desk was kept tidy and neat with his computer on one side and his paper and pens on the other. He was currently reading a report on one of the Winner family's resource satellites when a dark haired woman poked her head in. 

"Mr. Winner?"

"Yes Gloria?" Quatre replied, not looking up from his work.

Gloria, Quatre's secretary adjusted her glasses and flashed the paper she had in her hand as she stepped into the room.

"The list of all those invited to tomorrow night's party as you requested."

Quatre put down his report and smiled at her. "Good. I would like to know if Miss Relena will be attending."

"I'm sorry Mr. Winner, but I was informed Miss Peacecraft will not be attending for she has more pressing matters back on Earth. She personally sends her deepest apologies as says she'll try to make up for it."

Quatre smiled though it was hard for him to hide his disappointment. Now what was he going to do? Though he would never admit it out loud, he hated these political get-togethers. It was nothing but a bunch of strangers putting on false smiles for the congregation. And that wasn't even the worst part. Despite the fact that he was only nineteen, Quatre was the heir of one of the richest families in space and on Earth. This also made him one of the most eligible bachelors in most people's eyes.

He had been through all of it before. Foreign delegates, ambassadors, dukes, and people of all kinds would come up to him in droves to introduce themselves--and their daughters. It seemed everyone was always trying to hook him up with somebody. And being the nice person he was, Quatre always found it hard to tell them no. Thus, he was manipulated into going on many an uncomfortable date with a complete stranger whom he knew nothing about. All for the sake of being polite.

After such experiences, Quatre would often wonder why people thought it such a crime for him to be single. Heck, even his old friends the Manganacs who had remained on Earth still had time to call him up every once in a while and heckle him about getting himself a girl before "all the good ones were taken".

Even so, Quatre appreciated the thought, he really did. But he would rather find someone he could love and care for in his own good time. He just wished there was a way to get people to understand that. Fortunately, until people did, Quatre had developed a plan to channel away much of the match making.

At a similar type meeting, he had managed to run into Relena Peacecraft who also happened to be attending. Quatre soon discovered that she was having the same problem with delegates trying to hook her up with their eligible young sons, grandsons, nephews, ect. Having once realized both had the same problem they had decided to start attending such meetings together. Luckily this proved to benefit both their situations. But this time, Quatre was forced to face the dangers of being single alone.

After taking the guest list from Gloria, Quatre excused his secretary as he went back to work.

_You owe me for this one Relena._

_

* * *

_

The grass grew wild around a small gravestone as it patiently waited on the rise of a green hill. A lonely figure made his way slowly up the slightly worn path towards it. The newly dug earth was soft under his feet as he reached his destination. He gazed upon the epitaph with his dark, brooding eyes. Eyes so young. Eyes that were not meant to see what horrors they had already beheld. With those eyes he read the name on the headstone over and over.

"Chang Meiran."

Her body was hardly a day old beneath that freshly planted grass and already he was off to leave again. Off to fight with his new metallic companion, the Shenlong. Off to fight for his colony--to protect the weak, to uphold his honor, to defend his justice.

_Justice,_ he thought bitterly. _I did not understand this word until I met you. And now I promise to fight for what you gave your life for. For your justice, always._

The lean figure knelt down to lightly touch the stone. The coldness of it deepened his sense of reality for the situation. Meiran was really gone. And now it would be his time to leave as well. Slowly he got back to his feet again.

"Farewell my Nataku," Wufei whispered as he turned to go. "Farewell...my wife."

And those eyes, those young, innocent eyes turned hard with hurt and hatred. They steeled their gaze on the new path which lay before their master. They would not betray him and show the pain raging inside. No, they would not show weakness for that was something they could never afford.

Several months from that time, those same dark eyes watched helplessly from a gundam cockpit in space as their beloved colony was destroyed. The eyes widened in shock. For him-- they all died for him. His people, his clan, his sensei, the grave of his wife. All destroyed. He was alone now. And those eyes, those wonderfully faithful eyes wept as they betrayed their master. Thick, hot tears poured out in grief for their failure. For they had shown weakness.

* * *

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Wufei awoke to the insistent beeping of the early warning system. Feeling a bit disoriented from his snooze, he almost fell out of his chair as the alarm shoved him back into consciousness. After regaining his balance, Wufei looked around in confusion. What a strange dream. He hadn't had anything like it for years. This left him wondering why his subconsciousness decided to bring it up now.

He was kicked back into the here and now when two other men ran into the room. Each were wearing the standard Preventers uniform--much like his own.

Wufei instantly straightened. He couldn't let them know he had fallen asleep during his watch. He mentally cursed himself for letting his guard down like that. Weak. Just another thing to add to his unbearably long list of weaknesses.

"What's going on?" one of the men asked.

Wufei shut off the alarm as he turned to the surveillance screen. He switched through all the cameras stationed around the parameter of the Preventers base.

"Nothing outside. I'm checking the satellite."

His nimble fingers punched in a number of codes as the satellite was accessed. A grid appeared on the large screen, displaying several locations both on Earth and in space. A large blinking dot blipped slowly across the screen.

"What on Earth..?" Wufei wondered to himself.

By this time, another person had entered the room. A tall woman with golden hair and full red lips. Her deep blue eyes held a bit of fatigue--it was obvious she had been sleeping. But she pushed her tiredness aside as she pressed passed the two men and sidled up to the Chinese man at the controls.

"What have you found Wufei?" Sally Po asked as she eyed the dot curiously.

"Looks like some sort of shuttle," Wufei replied as he continued to type furiously. "It doesn't look too big. But it's ascending far too fast to make any type of landing. I've tried to hail the pilot but it looks like their equipment is out. It's going to crash."

Sally pressed her lips in a firm line. "Where will it impact?"

"About five miles East of here. We'll have impact in about ten minutes."

"Alright, I'll take a small unit to check it out," Sally announced. "Wufei, I want you to come with me. You two," she turned to the other two men. "Take his place and keep us informed on that shuttle's course."

"Yes ma'am!" the two men saluted.

Wufei only stood and gave a slight nod.

"Let's move!" Sally announced as she ran out the door to rally others. Wufei was hot on her heels.

The two men stood at attention until their superior was gone before they slouched in their seats in front of the screen.

"Man," the first one whined. "We never get to go anywhere."

* * *

_Not even the moon is out at this time of night,_ Wufei thought to himself as he watched the big, black sky. 

He sat on the passenger seat of the jeep Sally was driving. Behind them followed the medical truck Sally had ordered to go with them. They were far away from the city now with the head lights of their vehicles as their only source of light. Using binoculars, he could now see the ascending object. It looked almost like a shooting star from the heat it acquired when entering the Earth's atmosphere.

"What is going on up there?"

Wufei turned his head when he heard his partner mumble her question. With the falling object now visible to the naked eye, Sally was watching the sky more than the road. Both passengers were jounced from their seats as the jeep ran over a large rock.

"Woman driver!" Wufei barked at her. "How many times must you be told to watch the road! I did not survive an entire war to be a victim of your recklessness!"

Sally gave an inaudible growl as she narrowed her eyes on the road ahead. Wufei was more irritable than usual when he took the late shift. She was about to comment on how the ex-gundam pilot's driving skills weren't any better when the radio crackled to life. Wufei reach for the mic. Sally smirked as she grabbed it first.

"This is Sally," she announced as Wufei sulked in his seat.

"Major Sally," a young man's voice crackled on the other end. "It appears like the shuttle is trying to change course."

"WHAT?" Sally screamed as she slammed on the breaks.

Wufei, who was not wearing his seat belt, plunged face first into the dash board while the medical truck screeched to a halt mere inches behind them. The former was cursing all the women in the world and their collective intelligence while Sally's entire attention was turned to the voice on the radio. By now the shuttle was reduced to a flaming fire ball. Where ever it landed it would cause serious damage.

"Where is it headed?" Sally demanded.

"A large lake within the forest area."

Sally held her breath. A navigation computer would never do that. Which meant someone was steering that flaming rubble. She was about to ask for the coordinates of that lake but was drowned out as a large fire ball shot through the sky and crashed through the thick growth of trees they were traveling around. Sally put away the radio. She didn't need anyone to tell her which way to go.

She motioned to the other vehicle to continue on--only to slam on the breaks again as an explosion made itself known from somewhere beyond the tree line. No one dared move or speak. Even Wufei, who had to pry himself off the dashboard again, didn't utter a word.

The small group reached the impact point and Sally stepped out of her jeep to survey the damage. The shuttle, which did not make it all the way to the lake, left a large crater where it landed. The mini explosion which followed after swallowed up a radius of about 50 yards, damaging only a small corner of the lake. Sally walked into the dead zone with her flashlight and examined the place the shuttle had hit. There was hardly anything left to speak of save a few pieces of scrap metal.

_Not even worth bringing the medical truck,_ Sally thought dismally, suddenly feeling sorry for who ever was the pilot.

The other men from the truck had followed her into the burned area and were now inspecting the remains as well. Wufei, however, did not follow. He took his own flashlight and started around the parameter of the explosion. He was almost half way around when he noticed something glistening wetly in the light. He approached the tall blades of grass and rubbed them between his fingers. A thick, sticky substance came off onto his skin. Blood. Human blood.

Shining his flashlight into the deep foliage, Wufei could make out a vague trail of blood and broken twigs that progressed deeper into the forest. He followed it cautiously--one soundless step in front of the other, ears straining for the slightest noise. Wufei paused as the trail stopped abruptly. He shined his flashlight all around but it was as if who ever had come this way had simply vanished.

Wufei knitted his brows as he combed the area with his flashlight. Not a sight, nor sound, nor scent of anything. It just didn't seem possible. He turned his head back the way he came when he heard Sally calling his name. Wufei made a grunt to voice his displeasure, but at the same time he realized his search would be pointless now. After taking one last look around Wufei turned and headed back for the rest of the Preventers.

But little did he know, high in the trees, something saw the young man's retreat. A figure shifted noiselessly among the branches and watched with wild eyes as the light slowly left and the forest went dark and quiet once more.

* * *

Hands. The hands were everywhere. Pushing him, prodding him, checking him, poking him. Hands with needles taking stuff from him and putting other stuff into him. Always testing him, always wanting to know. Know what? Sometimes he didn't know himself. His strength, his endurance. He would give it to them but they would ask for it again tomorrow and the hands would return. 

Pain, there was always so much pain. _Ignore it, _they said. _Be hard. Be strong. Be ruthless. Don't feel._

Don't feel.

Don't feel the needles in your flesh. Don't feel the eyes boring into you day after day. Don't feel the hopelessness of this repetition without end. Don't feel the fear and wonder if this day will be your last.

Don't feel.

What you feel is not important. You are not important. The mission is important. Very important. More important than you. The mission is your purpose. Purpose is all.

...is it?

Oh no! The hands! The hands are back! What do they want now? Where are they taking me? This word they use...pilot. They want me to be a pilot. They want me to learn to fly. How?

What is that? It looks dark. NO! Stop pushing! Don't make me go inside! They're strapping me in! What is this place? The looks on their faces...they are angry with me. They see my fear. I'm not supposed to show my emotions. I'm not supposed to have any emotion.

No! Don't go, don't leave! They're closing the door! No! Please! I try to struggle free. But I can't get loose. The door closes and I am trapped.

It's quiet now. My breath, my heart--they're so loud. My hands are hot and sweaty. It's so dark. It's so small. My eyes widen in fear and panic runs through me. It's too small! The walls are closing in! Too small! I can't move! Can't breath! It's too small! I'm going to die! Let me out!

* * *

"LET ME OUT!"

Heero subconsciously heard his own voice scream along with the sound of shredding cloth. He felt bound, captured, trapped. More ripping as he fought the thing holding him. He fell off the bed and his eyes popped open as he snapped awake.

The sudden collision with the floor brought Heero back to reality. He was alone in the bedroom of his small apartment. The torn white cloth scattered around him was what remained of his bed sheets. He must have gotten tangled in them during the night and ripped them when he tried to break out in his dream.

Heero paused as his heart jumped in his throat. The dream. He couldn't remember having such nightmares since before his gundam days. They were nightmares of his past. Nightmares he was sure he had over come. But now...

He stood and saw his reflection in the mirror. His eyes widened as a sickeningly familiar sense of panic rose in him. He couldn't stop it, the impulse was too strong. He felt constricted, trapped. His breathing became labored and heavy. Was he running out of air? Tight. Everything felt so tight. Was the room becoming smaller? The walls were reaching out to him, trying to smother him.

"NO!" Heero yelled aloud as he shook himself.

He couldn't loose control now. He had mastered this once. He could do it again. He was strong.

Then why was his heart still beating so fast?

With a growl of frustration, Heero thrust open the window and glared at the large, full moon. It was so much bigger on the colonies and always full.

"Why? Why is this happening now?" Heero demanded of the moon. "WHY?"

The moon gave no reply as she continued to shine gently on the sleeping colonists. She could not know why he hurt so. All she could do was continue to offer what comfort she could with her soft light. But it could never be enough. Her Heero would not be sleeping any more tonight.


	2. Chapter 2: A Lonely Waltz

Gundam Wing: Children of War

By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Two: A Lonely Waltz

Sally yawned as she entered the main room of the Preventers base. She had been up with the sun which seemed like far too early for her. Though this was her usual wake up time, having spent all day and most of the night previous documenting the remnants of the shuttle and then cleaning up the crash sight left Sally still feeling a bit exhausted from it all. And it had also been hard to go to sleep these past two nights. Everything about that crash still haunted her thoughts. No matter how she viewed the evidence, something did not add up.

There was no doubt about it, someone had been piloting that shuttle when it had gone down. But who, and why? She checked into it. There were no records from the colonies of any type of shuttle leaving for Earth which did not check in at any of the Earth bases. There were no reports of any such shuttle stolen either. So then, where did it come from and why did it land on Earth? What was the pilot's reason for coming here?

As the pilot once again entered her thoughts Sally's brow knitted in concentration. There was no trace of any kind of life form in the wreckage they studied. Even though the explosion of the shuttle was probably meant to destroy the evidence there still should have been some trace of the pilot. But after thoroughly combing the area, they found nothing. No bones, no blood, not even a trace of a hair or finger nail. So was there really a pilot or not? Perhaps that question would forever go unanswered.

Sally's mind was still mulling over the mystery as she stepped into the control room to relieve the previous person on duty. She was surprised when she saw a face other than the one she was expecting.

"Where's Wufei?" Sally asked the young man at the monitor. "I thought he was supposed to be on duty."

The young man stood. "He was Major, but he asked me to take over for the last few hours. He left sometime before sunrise. He said he had something important to look after."

"He did?" Sally wondered. In all the times she had known him, Sally could not recall Wufei ever giving an excuse to abandon his post for any reason. It just wasn't his way. So what caused him to do it now?

"Do you know which way he went?"

"I think he was headed on the east road Major."

"Towards the crash site?" Sally asked out loud. Now she was really confused. The day before Wufei had adamantly refused to go anywhere near where the shuttle had hit. He had informed her in his usual manner that it was a pointless investigation and that he had better things to do. And yet, Sally had noticed as the results of the search came in, Wufei was secretly interested in the findings though he tried not to show it. So then what possessed him to go out there now when everything had already been cleaned up? What did he expect to find?

Sally shook her head, she didn't have time to go running after him now. There were more important things she had to attend to. She decided to herself that she would take time to approach Wufei when he got back--whenever that would be.

* * *

The sun was getting higher now, but Wufei wasn't about to quit. He continued slowly through the forest, feet always light and silent, ears always straining for the faintest sound. After leaving his post like he did he was not about to come back empty handed. The Preventer reports had shown nothing. They were all fools. Wufei knew there was something more out here and he was determined to find it.

His search had started before the sun even knew he had left. Wufei had gone directly back to the crash site and went right over to where he had seen the blood that night. Part of him wasn't surprised at all when he found nothing there the second time. That's why it wasn't in the report. Someone had cleaned up their trail. Whoever this person was, they were good. They knew how to stay hidden. But they could not hide forever from the great Wufei. Whoever this person was, they were still injured and Wufei was sure that sooner or later they would mess up.

The permanent scowl etched itself further into Wufei's features when he emerged from the thick undergrowth only to find himself just a few yards away from the lake where he started from. The lake was quite large and the actual crash site was clear on the opposite side. But Wufei still felt himself a failure for having made it thus far without finding a thing. He sighed and shifted restlessly. His legs and feet were beginning to tire from all his sneaking around. To give them rest he squatted down on the balls of his feet and took a moment to brood the situation over.

He didn't get a chance to brood long, however. His muscles stiffened as his keen ears picked up a faint rustling. It was barely audible, no more than hardly a whisper. But to Wufei, it was enough. He remained in his crouched position and listened as the sound steadily came closer. Dark eyes widened in absolute shock as a figure soundlessly emerged from the foliage and slowly limped towards the water's edge.

Wufei couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was a young girl. She couldn't have been much older than he was. This was the great evader he had been hunting all day? SHE was the one he was after? This girl? This...woman! Impossible! This could not be right!

He narrowed his eyes as he watched her. Her slim figure was clothed in a simple pair of jeans and a white tank top. Or it used to be white. Her whole body was so horribly dirty one could hardly tell what color even her skin used to be. Her hair was dark. It extended down past her shoulders and it too was caked with filth.

It was obvious the girl was wounded as she limped softly to the edge of the lake, favoring her right side. The grimace on her face could even be seen by Wufei's vantage point as she crouched down onto a rock. Then, unraveling the dark, dirty sweater she had tied around her waist, she dipped the sleeve into the water and then applied it to her right leg. The girl bit back a cry of pain as she touched her wound and hissed through her teeth as she proceeded to clean it.

From where he hid, Wufei couldn't see the extent of her wounds but he guessed from the way she moved that they were bad enough. A small smirk spread upon his lips. He understood now. Women were always good at running and hiding. Cowardice was in their nature. That's why he had a hard time finding her. But now he had her cornered and she was wounded. She could not run from him now. Capturing this female would prove an easy task.

He slowly stood and took a few soundless steps. He wanted to be well out into the open before making himself known.

"Woman, what are you doing here," Wufei demanded as he approached.

The girl gasped and jumped to her feet with surprising swiftness. Wufei could see her right side clearly now and it almost made him sick. Entwined with the frayed edges of Levi cloth was raw flesh, blackened and burned from the explosion no doubt. Wufei also noticed that her bare arms contained less sever burns as well.

But despite her wounds, the girl tensed into a defensive stance and glared at him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Wufei ignored the question. "You arrived on Earth without proper authorization. I'm taking you in for questioning."

"Oh no you're not!" the girl argued as she took as step back. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about. I don't want to fight you, but I will."

"You," Wufei sneered. "You are weak and injured. Now come, I don't have all day."

Wufei stepped closer and reached for her wrist. But before he could react she had grabbed his arm and flung him over her shoulder. Wufei was surprised but he managed to maneuver himself to land on his feet before he hit the ground.

"Why you..." he growled.

The girl only glared and tensed again. Wufei was about to advance once more when the walkie talkie on his hip beeped to life.

"Wufei," Sally's voice crackled over the speaker. "This is Sally. Respond Wufei, that's an order."

Wufei growled as he snatched up the device. He was about to snarl a reply but words escaped him when he looked back up at his adversary. The girl was gone. Completely vanished without a trace. Wufei grit his teeth as he clutched the walkie talkie in his fist. The communication device started to whine under the pressure of his grip. Wufei was angry and frustrated beyond words. Under his breath he spat the worse curse he could think of.

"Injustice!"

* * *

The large building was lavishly adorned with all sorts of silks, pearls, and golds. People were everywhere. Men in their stiff tuxedos, women in their gowns. The talk was low and calm as the live orchestra played a pacifying tune. Slow...and boring.

No one seemed to really notice the blonde young man in the black tux and his large escort as he entered. But he still looked all around him with wide eyes as if the crowd was suddenly going to turn on him and hunt him down.

"Master Quatre, you must calm down," Rasid advised gently. "You'll only succeed in drawing attention to yourself."

The blonde youth looked up at the larger man and sighed. "You're right of course. I'll try." He took a deep breath to steel his nerves. "Thank you again for accompanying me, Rasid."

The tall Manganac nodded. Though he still wasn't sure if suddenly up and leaving his troops on Earth for L4 colony was a wise decision. But Quatre had personally asked him to and Rasid could never reject him. However, whether his presence was actually needed here remained to be determined.

"Now remember, if you see anyone resembling or accompanying a young woman and they look like they might be heading for us, be sure to block their path while I make my getaway."

Rasid gave him a tolerant look. Master Quatre was obviously overreacting. He made it sound like the whole world was out to get him. Rasid decided he might have to have a talk with Quatre about his paranoia later.

They had only gone a few steps when an elegantly dressed woman with greying hair and large earrings approached them.

"Ah, Mr. Winner! How lovely to see you again," she called enthusiastically.

Quatre gave Rasid a pained look before turning to face her.

"Ah, Duchess D'Tante, the feeling is mutual. How are you?"

"Oh, couldn't be better, if it wasn't for those nasty rumors flittering about."

Quatre nodded solemnly. He knew what she was talking about. By now it was no secret that the possibility of another war was on the rise.

"But we can't let mere rumors get in the way, now can we?" the duchess continued on. "Mr. Winner, I don't think you've had the pleasure of meeting my granddaughter, Tiffany."

The duchess shoved a young girl with shoulder length brown hair and a large, fake smile plastering her face. Quatre also noticed with a blush that her short, tight dress revealed more than he cared to see.

"No, I haven't had the pleasure," Quatre replied with a polite bow and a kiss to the hand.

Tiffany, in turn, gave a high, squealish giggle. Quatre blanched on the inside. He gave a pleading look to Rasid to save him some how.

The tall man gave a large sigh. i The things I do for him. /I

He stepped between Quatre and the objects of his distress. "Master Quatre, your needed uh...elsewhere. Please follow me."

Quatre nodded thankfully and, with a quick apology, ran off to attended to seemingly more important matters.

"Thanks Rasid, I owe you one," Quatre sighed as they made it safely to the refreshment tables. "But I'm afraid I might have to owe you much more before our night is through."

Rasid grunted in reply. He was beginning to understand why Quatre was so worried when they arrived. He would do what he could to make this party more enjoyable for him.

"I really don't want to be so rude to them," Quatre lamented. "But I wish they would leave me alone. I get so tired of everyone throwing these girls at me."

As he spoke, a young girl who was walking past suddenly grabbed his shoulder as she collapsed. Quatre was almost pulled to the floor with her from being so caught off guard. The girl let out a small cry of surprise, but was quick to steady herself after he had caught her fall.

"Oh my gosh! I am so, so sorry," the girl quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to fall on you. I'm so embarrassed!"

Quatre turned to the blushing girl. She wore a silk gown with thin straps kissed with the slightest whisper of blue. Almost like ice--just like her eyes. Her short hair was a light red, almost pink. It seemed rivaled in color with her cheeks as she blushed profusely.

"No, no, it's quite alright," Quatre replied. He offered her an arm since she still looked like she was about to fall over. She was now hopping on only one foot. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The girl put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she reached down and removed her right shoe. "Can't say the same for this though." She presented the shoe with the broken heel to Quatre.

"What a rip! I just bought these a week ago! Stupid K-Mart cheapies!" She moodily set about removing the other shoe as well.

"Sorry again for falling on you like that," she continued to apologize while she was bent over. "Thanks for catching me."

Quatre couldn't help but smile at her when their faces met again. "Anytime," he said in a soft voice.

The girl smiled and then turned around, walking off bare foot to another part of the room. Quatre watched her curiously as she went. Rasid watched the whole thing with an amused expression on his face. Quatre shook himself just in time to catch the older man's reaction.

"What?" he demanded.

Rasid tried hard to fight back his smirk. "Nothing Master Quatre," he replied before turning his attention else where. But the large man suddenly stiffened when something caught his eye.

"Master Quatre, possible situation at twelve o'clock."

Quatre glanced in the direction he was looking. Vice Foreign Minister O'Leary and his chattering twin daughters Tracy and Stacy were headed their way. Quatre's eyes went wide as he looked for an escape rout.

"Quick Rasid, up the stairs! And try to make it look casual," Quatre hissed.

Rasid nodded and the two retreated as casually as they could manage up the stairs--before taking cover behind a near by statue. Rasid, having the large stature that he did, stuck out far too much for Quatre's comfort. The blonde young man peeked out from behind his hiding place to see if the cost was clear. He gave a sigh of relief. Luckily, the O'Leary twins had run into the buffet table before they could reach the stairs and were now going at it with the entrees.

"Why do I even come to these things?" Quatre mumbled to himself as he took as seat at a near by table. Rasid stood loyally at his side.

_That's why,_ his mind told him when he spotted the young girl who had run into him earlier. She stood next to a smartly dressed older man; probably her father. She waited there patiently, hands behind her back (Quatre could see from his vantage point she was still holding her shoes) while her father talked with another man.

"Rasid," Quatre tugged on the Manganac's sleeve. "Do you have any idea who she might be?"

Rasid looked down at the girl he was asking about. "Hmm, she wasn't on the guest list. That man she's standing next to is Mr. Reeves. He did a lot of business with your father in the old days. In fact, if memory serves me right, you've got a meeting with him in a couple days. I would imagine the girl is probably his daughter."

Quatre nodded. He suspected as much. Now all he had to do was find out her name. "Well, if Mr. Reeves is going to be a business associate of mine, you should introduce me to him."

"Would that include her as well?" Rasid asked with a knowing smile.

Quatre choose to ignore that remark as he stood and headed for the staircase opposite of the one he came up. Rasid sighed as he followed after.

_Run from that girl, help me meet this one. I hope you appreciate all I do for you._

Mr. Reeves and the other man had just finished up their conversation when the two approached them. The former was a tall, slender man with sharp features and tight posture. His hair was a rusty color slightly touched with a hint of silver from age. But his eyes still looked quite young and there was a regal air about him the demanded respect.

"Ah, Rasid," Andrew Reeves greeted as he took the large man's hand and shook it energetically. "It's been quite a while, I must say!"

"Indeed," Rasid replied with a grin of his own. "I assume all is going well."

"As well as can be expected," Mr. Reeves turned his gaze to Quatre. "And this must be the young Mr. Winner I've been hearing about."

"Winner," the girl at his side gasped.

"Problem?" Mr. Reeves asked his daughter.

She laughed in reply. "We met earlier when I came in. I'm sorry again for running into you like that Mr. Winner. I didn't know it was you."

Quatre bowed suavely as he took her silky gloved hand. "Think nothing of it. And please, it's Quatre. Quatre Reberba Winner. I don't believe I caught your name."

The girl laughed. "I'm Candy. Do you always introduce yourself like that Mr. Quatre Reberba Winner?"

Quatre looked at her confused. "Huh? What's wrong with that?"

Candy was about to reply when she got a subtle elbow in the side from her father. She looked at him in annoyance and he returned the look with a stern glare.

"Alright," Candy sighed. "It's Candace Francesca Allena Relinda Caroline Van Rensselaer Reeves." She drawled off the whole thing in a bored tone and then gave her father a "there, are you happy now" look.

Rasid coughed, trying not to let out a chuckle. Quatre just stared.

Mr. Reeves cleared his throat. "Just Candace will do."

"Yes dad," Candy nodded. "It's Candy," she quickly whispered to Quatre.

"That's enough," Mr. Reeves said in a tolerant tone, though he could not completely hide all the humor from his voice. "I see Mr. Savio over there Candace, why don't you go say hi to him while Mr. Winner and I discuss business."

"Okay," Candy sighed. She smiled one last time at Quatre before turning to obey her father's request. Quatre couldn't help but grin himself. Her smile was dazzling. Now if only he could get the chance to know her better.

"And put your shoes back on," Mr. Reeves called after her.

"Yeah, yeah," Candy waved them over her head as she left.

"Now Mr. Quatre, if we could just--"

Mr. Reeves was cut off as an elegantly dressed woman tapped Quatre on the shoulder.

"Ah, Mrs. Andros, how nice to see you again," Quatre plastered the usual smile on his face.

The woman nodded. "Likewise Mr. Winner. Is Ms. Peacecraft not attending with you today?"

"No, she had more pressing matters to attend to on Earth."

"Ah, shame. Have you had the pleasure of meeting my niece?"

Quatre sighed. _Here we go again._

_

* * *

_

"The colonies are getting too arrogant for their own good. They think they can build up their military power right under our noses without us noticing. They think we're all senile old fools here on Earth. I say we show them differently. We need to get this thing under control and put a lid on it before the situation gets even more extreme.

"We've had reports from all over the colonies that certain organizations are increasing their imports on military goods--most sold illegally. We've got shipments of metals, even gundanium being recieved all over the place. Ladies and gentlemen, the situation is indeed most dire. We can't just sit and wait this one out. How long until the colonists start attacking Earth? I say we get our troops out there and get the situation under control before we have an all out war on our hands."

A few of the delegates applauded as General Prescott finished his heated speech and took his seat. Relena Peacecraft frowned as she noted many of those present seemed to agree with him. It was human nature to want control of what was around them. It made people feel safe when they had control over things. Relena understood this. Nobody wanted another war and they were struggling to curb the possibilities and repress the things they could not restrain. But to do it by dominating people was not right.

"I most certainly agree."

Relena's eyes went wide as one of her own people, Commander Girmaud of the Cinq Kingdom stood up.

"Earth is always getting the short end of the deal and I for one am sick of it! Every time a colony gets spooked we have to come crawling to them on our hands and knees, begging for peace. If a war does break out we're going to get blamed for it even though the colonies are becoming more and more hostile by themselves. We should no longer feel it's our duty to cater to the colonies demands. I say it's time were put our foot down to show them just where we stand."

Relena pressed her lips together as Commander Girmaud took his seat. What was he thinking? As a representative from the Cinq Kingdom he should be helping her promote peace. Relena readied herself to stand and voice her disagreement with her Commander.

"I'm afraid I have to disagree with you, Commander Girmaud."

Relena froze in her seat as the young man stood and repeated the very same words she was about to say. The man could have only been a few years older than her. He was thin with sharp features and strait posture. His dark black hair was neatly slicked back. He stared down the elder commander with practiced confidence as he addressed the congregation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I agree that our main initiative is to keep the peace between the colonies and Earth. But to do it so rashly is foolish. Let's all calm down and try to consider what we are about to do here. Let's not forget that this was exactly how this previous war was started. Remember all the destruction caused to the Earth and it's people. History is dangerously threatening to repeat itself and it most certainly will if we don't approach this carefully.

"Our primary option should be to keep communications open with the colonies and first be willing to compromise and negotiate before we jump to hasty conclusions. Controlling people is not keeping peace but creating a false peace while the people who are being dominated harbor hateful feelings for those controlling them. True peace, ladies and gentlemen, cannot be maintained with an iron fist, but with open arms."

The applause for the young man was even stronger as he took his seat. General Prescott and even Commander Girmaud looked less than pleased with it all. But Relena couldn't have been more opposite as she clapped the loudest of all.

* * *

"Sir! Sir," Relena called as she raced after the man from the conference. Sensing someone wanting his attention, he paused in mid stride and waited for her.

"I just wanted to compliment you on your speech earlier," Relena smiled. "I thought it was most called for and excellently put."

The young man looked her in the face with the most intense ice blue eyes Relena had ever seen. He gave a tight, thin lipped smile.

"Thank you. I appreciate the compliment but I was merely saying what needed to be said."

Relena smiled at this. "Well, it was very nice to hear it from someone other than I. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Relena Peacecraft."

She gave a slight nod which was customary in her kingdom.

"I know who you are," the young man replied. His voice was surprisingly neutral. Very monotone, not unlike another young man she knew of. And those eyes, his face. They betrayed nothing to what this man was thinking as if they had been strictly trained that way.

_Just like Heero's..._

Relena didn't have time to day dream as the young man had already turned his back on her and was continuing on his way. Relena was quick to follow.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name."

The young man barely spared her a glance as he replied. "It's Jason Dawes. I'm one of the delegates from the North American region," he added the last sentence, sensing it was going to be asked anyway.

Relena nodded. He was right, she was just about to ask that. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Dawes. I'm grateful to find at least one more person on Earth who doesn't believe military power is the answer for every crisis."

"Who said I didn't?" the dark haired young man replied. Relena almost tripped over herself in shock when he said this. "I simply don't believe that our main focus should be on the colonies right now. Not when we've got so many other problems accumulating on Earth as it is."

Relena almost laughed at this. "Problems on Earth Mr. Dawes? What could possibly be happening on Earth that's more important that avoiding this war---"

"I am talking about war."

Jason stopped suddenly and Relena almost ran right into him. The young man set his ice blue eyes, so light they were almost transparent, right on her. Relena couldn't shake the feeling he could see clear down to her very soul.

"Three and a half years ago all the nations of the world were dissolved into one in a frantic hope it would somehow lead to peace."

Relena's eyes widened. He was talking about her and what she did when the Romefeller Foundation had made her queen.

"For those of the Cinq Kingdom it worked, but not for everyone. Since then world leaders have been scrambling to find their place again in this new political order. Nations who have given up their lives for freedom from dictators to form their own countries now find themselves instantly under old rule as the national borders disappear. Laws are frantically being changed all the time to compensate. The world citizens are loosing their rights day by day as once sturdy constitutions are being discarded or ignored.

"You may have succeeded in uniting the Earth's powers for the duration of a war, but not for the duration of the peace. You can be an astounding heartfelt speaker and a roll model for your country. But as a world leader, Miss Peacecraft, your grasp on politics is somewhat lacking. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Relena stared wide eyed as he pivoted on his heel and disappeared out the large glass door to the taxi waiting outside. She stood there, dumbfounded and speechless over what was said to her. It just wasn't true. It couldn't be true. She had always worked so hard for peace. The contentions of this planet couldn't possibly be as bad as he made them out to be. She did the right thing. She was sure of it. But in a brief moment of uncertainty she had to wonder, could she have been wrong?

* * *

From the staircase above, two older men watched the confused young foreign minister as she walked away. The thinner form of General Prescott glared at her retreat.

"I don't like this," he said to his companion. "I thought the Peacecraft girl would be the only one who tried to argue our ideals. But then this guy waltzes into the picture. Who is he anyway?"

The other man, Commander Girmaud of the Cinq Kingdom, only shook his head. "I don't know. We'll just have to keep an eye on him."

General Prescott clenched his fists agitatedly. "I don't like this. He could screw up everything. We should get rid of him as soon as possible."

Girmaud regarded him coolly. "Relax. We can't be rash about this. One slip up on our part and it's all over. Besides, we've got time."

Most of the lights were off now, save for a few on the far end of the room-- just enough light to see the dance floor. A lone figure in a silk dress kissed lightly with blue swished silently into the room. It was always the same. Even though it was late her father still had places to go and people to meet, leaving no one to tell her when it was time to go home.

* * *

She always stayed until the party was gone and everyone had left. It was almost an unbreakable habit now. Alone, without all the political yammer and fake smiles. Without the musicians in their crisp white suits and their drawling music--the dance floor called to her. She started out onto its open space and looked around. One of these days she was going to have a party of her own. A real party, not like these.

She couldn't stand one more political get together like this. Everyone was always so tense, always so careful as to what they said and what they made known to the public. The scare of another war hung thickly in the air as everyone put on false pretenses that everything was fine.

But not at Candy's party. No. Hers would be like the kind of party she always dreamed of. It would be a time for friends to get together and reminisce about the old days and discuss with enthusiasm what laid ahead. She could picture it all now--everyone smiling and laughing. Everyone dressed beautifully and enjoying each other's company. People would come up to her without the fake, polite smiles, but with real ones.

"What lovely parties you throw Miss Candace," they would say. "You simply must have another."

"Why thank you. How kind of you to say that," she replied as she bowed to the imaginary person.

Anyone watching would see a girl by herself, bowing and talking to the air. But in Candy's world, she wasn't alone. People were everywhere. The music would begin to play--sweet, slow beautiful music. Not that lousy elevator music they played tonight. Couples would gather about the dance floor, moving gracefully in each other's arms. She would stay on the sidelines, satisfied to just watch. But then HE would appear out of the crowd.

All those not dancing would notice the beautiful stranger as he seemed to appear out of nowhere. They would all watch in wonder as he strolled up to the hostess and held out his hand in invitation. In her fantasy, Candace couldn't see his face clearly. But she knew he had kind eyes and a soft smile. She took the warm hand held out for her and followed as he led her to the dance floor for her very first dance.

Now Candace had danced several times before, but she never thought of any of them as a real dance. It was with her father's associates mostly. They would come up and visit; compliment her on how much older she looked. Then one or two of them would ask her to dance merely out of simple courtesy. Of course, she would accept and engage in idle talk while tolerating the old men's poor dance skills. But it was never really dancing.

Real dancing was something like no other. It didn't have to be with someone you knew but it was mandatory it would be with someone close to your own age--Candy decided. It was the chance for two souls to move together in synchronization. It was a pivotal moment on the heart to decide, when the song was over, whether those involved would part the same as before or if something inside them would ache to dance again. It was yet another chance to fall in love and Candy didn't want to miss it.

She reached the middle of the dance floor with her pretend partner. She tried to imagine how his hand would feel, warm and gentle. His other hand around her waist would pull her close. His breath would be felt on her forehead as they began to move to the beautiful music.

Candy closed her eyes. The party was still alive and clear in her mind as she moved around the dark, empty dance floor in her lonely waltz.

But from a shadowed corner of the room, blonde bangs fell over deep blue green eyes as they watched the girl twirl before them. Quatre sighed as she kept her arms around her invisible partner as she danced. He ached to replace the imaginary man and hold her in his arms. But he would never have the courage to approach her. So for now, he would have to be content to watch her graceful movements from afar.


	3. Chapter 3: Shifting the Circles

Children of War

By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Three: Shifting the Circles

She watched him carefully from around the corner of the tent. There he was, crouched next to the lion's cage. She remembered the first time she saw him with that mask half covering his face. He was still as handsome as she remembered him. Even more so now. She recalled how excited she was when she heard this circus was coming to town. She had watched his breathtaking performance with wide eyes, heart beating faster. His costume had showed off his sleek, muscular frame, making her cheeks feel hot whenever she thought about it. As he crouched there now she could still see the hidden power his body held beneath that tight shirt he wore.

He shifted a bit and scratched the massive cat behind the ears. The lion leaned against his hand and made a noise of contentment. A small smile played upon her face as she watched. Her heart was beating faster as she grew nervous. Would he remember her? Would he even care to see her?

_Stop that girl,_ she berated herself. _Where's your courage? You'll never know if you're too afraid to find out. Just saying hi couldn't hurt, could it?_

She took a deep breath as she started towards the young man. Trowa looked up when he noticed a small shadow looming over him.

"Hi," Hilde said with a smile. She hoped she didn't sound as nervous as she felt.

Not a hint of any expression showed on Trowa's face as he stood. Hilde held her breath as his eyes met hers. She had never been this close to him. He was taller than she expected, more than a head higher than she. Hilde's heart sank when she saw no hint of recognition on his face.

"Uh, I don't suppose you remember me, but I--"

"You're Hilde, right?" Trowa suddenly spoke. "You were the one who snuck onto Libra."

Hilde could have died a happy woman right then and there. He had remembered.

"Yeah, that was me. I'm surprised you remembered."

"How could I forget? I don't think we could have won that battle without your help."

If Hilde was blushing before she was bright red now. She gave a nervous laugh and lowered her head, praying he didn't see her face. Wether he did or not, it didn't show and soon another voice caught his attention.

"Trowa," a tall, beautiful brunette called as she approached. "I was wondering where you went to." Catherine stopped next to her brother and eyed Hilde curiously. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Who's this?"

Hilde felt a twinge of jealousy run through her. It was the girl she saw Trowa performing with earlier. They seemed pretty close. The way the girl was clinging to him when she saw Hilde made her wonder if she was the jealous type as well.

"Catherine, this is Hilde," Trowa stated, calm as usual. "She..."

"I helped Trowa and the others fight in the war," Hilde finished with a smile.

She didn't see Trowa blanche visibly at this revelation. Who knew how his sister would react to that bit of news. Catherine's features instantly went cold.

"Oh, so you're one of them," she stated. "So what brings you out here now?"

Hilde shrugged. "I live here in town. When I saw the circus was here I thought I'd just come over for a visit."

This caused Catherine to relax a little. At least she wasn't here to drag her little brother off to another war. Nothing haunted her dreams more. No thought was more terrifying to her than that of loosing Trowa. She often wondered if he knew how she felt. Very rarely did he ever show what his true feelings were.

It was also a strange and rare occurrence for Trowa to take the initiative to break the silence. But this time he did.

"Hilde, would you like to join us for lunch?"

Both girls looked at him in surprise.

"Trowa," Catherine fumbled. She didn't like the idea of this girl--one of Trowa's trigger happy war friends--staying any longer than she needed to.

Hilde was just as at a loss for words. "I...well um...I wouldn't want to impose..."

Trowa waved them both off, dipping his head so most of his face was covered with his sweeping bangs.

"It's really no trouble at all. Come."

Hilde and Catherine watched dubiously after Trowa's retreating form. Then, after eyeing each other warily, the two girls followed behind him.

* * *

Lunch turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. The three of them sat around the small table in Catherine's trailer enjoying soup and sandwiches. Hilde remained quiet as they started to eat. She could feel Catherine's scrutinizing eyes watching her every move. It made her very uncomfortable. What had she said wrong? Hilde shifted in her seat as she carefully took a small sip of the soup, afraid of doing anything else to annoy this other girl.

"So, how has Duo been?"

Hilde looked up as the stillness was broken by Trowa's question. She couldn't see his face that well, that ever present hair of his kept it covered.

"Um...I really haven't seen Duo for about a year now."

A look of mild surprise covered Trowa's face as he raised an eyebrow at her. "Really. Any specific reason why? I thought you two were close."

"We were," Hilde agreed, though she started to fidget now. Pictures of past memories still played themselves clearly in her mind. They were touching on a subject she was not too fond of talking about. "But we soon realized we...disagreed on certain things and it was time for both of us to go our separate ways."

Hilde suddenly became very interested in her soup and refused to see how Trowa reacted. She could almost feel him searching out the missing parts to her story. He knew she wasn't telling him all the facts. He had to know. Hilde took a small sip of her soup and waited for the question that would make her reveal all. But Trowa surprised her by taking a different approach.

"So what do you do now?"

Hilde smiled her relief to her spoon at the question. "I own a mechanic shop in town. It's not much but I enjoy it."

"And do you live by yourself now or have you found someone else?"

Hilde's large eyes went wider than usual as her head jerked up. She would have never expected that kind of question. In his own subtle way, was Trowa trying to find out if she was still single? Hilde tried to search his face for answers but Trowa, ever the escape artist, was already hiding his face behind his curtain of hair as he usually did. She took a moment to marvel at how well he could disguise what he was thinking like that.

"No, I'm pretty much on my own right now." Hilde continued to wonder about the question as she nibbled at her sandwich. All the time casting glances at Trowa in hopes of seeing some hint as to what he was thinking. She cursed that darn hair of his for conveniently giving him something to constantly hide behind.

Catherine, during this time, was watching both of them in wonderment. This girl Hilde did seem pretty nice but she was still wary. Trowa had never mentioned her before--not that he talked a lot to begin with. But Catherine had to wonder as to the real reason this girl had showed up. At the same time, Catherine was also wondering about her brother's actions. She had never heard Trowa say so much in one sitting. So full of questions. Just what kind of interest did he have in this girl?

"So how long are you guys staying here?" Hilde took the opportunity to ask a question of her own.

Trowa looked at Catherine, expecting her to answer.

_Oh, so now we use the silent approach,_ Catherine thought sarcastically, but answered Hilde's question with a smile.

"Oh, a couple of weeks or so. It usually all depends on the crowd we bring in."

Hilde nodded. "Well, I'd be happy to show you around town if you're interested."

Catherine looked at Trowa, it would be his choice. The tall young man calmly put down his napkin and finally looked up, meeting Hilde's gaze with his for the first time.

"Sounds good. We'd love to."

* * *

Wufei moodily trudged through the Preventer's base to his bunker. It had been over twenty-four hours since his run in with the strange girl in the woods and his wounded pride was still trying to recover. His return to the base late the previous day had earned him much mocking from other Preventers in the ranks, not to mention a stern lecture from Sally. That only added salt to the open wound. But the usually outspoken Wufei took it all tongue in cheek. He still wasn't ready to explain his actions and to tell just exactly what had gone on in those woods. He had decided he had suffered enough humiliation for one day.

But now Wufei was far past caring about much of anything right now. He had stayed awake all the rest of the day and went back to duty for the night shift. It was late in the morning now and the only thing on the pilot's mind was sleep. Triez Kushrenada himself could have appeared in skimpy lingerie and done a strip dance and Wufei wouldn't have given a rat's ass about it. If it was Sally doing the strip dance, however, Wufei might have managed to raise an eye brow before informing the foolish woman she knew not her place. But then he would have gone to bed.

Ah bed. Wufei almost smiled as he entered the sleeping quarters. Dual rows of cots lined the walls of the single large room. It wasn't the most extravagant way to live. But for people like Wufei who didn't have anywhere else to place himself, one had to live with it. Right now, to Wufei, it was the most wonderful sight he had ever seen.

He approached his squeaky, old cot which had never looked so soft and inviting. The thing gave a whine of protest as Wufei flung his tired body on top of it. Not bothering to remove even his shoes, Wufei hugged his pillow as he curled up and tiredly closed his eyes. He gave a deep sigh as the blissful silence of the empty room surrounded him and he felt himself slipping away into a peaceful slumber.

BOOM!

Wufei popped up with a start, blood shot eyes open wide. Another explosion rocked the bunkers and Wufei groaned. He had forgotten that today was scheduled for testing new government explosives. They would be at it all morning. Another explosion sounded as Wufei laid back down and tried pitifully to block out the noise with his pillow. Another boom rocked the place and Wufei whimpered. He wouldn't be getting to sleep any time soon.

Three more explosions went off right after each other and Wufei opened his eyes. That didn't sound right to him. Voices were now yelling up and down the hall as urgent feet ran around outside his door. Wufei got up and poked his head out curiously. One of the Preventers ran by him and Wufei grabbed him by the jacket.

"What is happening? Answer me now!" Wufei barked, annoyed at even more disruptions than just the explosions.

The young cadet looked at him with wide eyes. "Something went wrong with the explosives tests! Some went off prematurely! It hasn't been confirmed but Major Sally may have been caught in the explosion!"

Wufei felt his stomach lurch at the news. His face went blank as he let the young man loose to run back down the long hall. Wufei just stood there, a strange numbness washing over him. Sally was hurt, possibly quite badly. The foolish woman! Anger suddenly overcame all emotions. That headstrong, self confident, foolish woman! How dare she put herself in danger like that! How dare she do something so stupid!

Wufei's blood boiled as he stalked down the hall in a rage. His heart was beating faster now. He was mad. No he wasn't. What he was feeling now wasn't anger. His heart was pacing too frantically now. His nerves seemed like they wanted to jump out of his skin as his pace quickened. Faster he went until he was practically sprinting down the hall towards the control room.

"What happened out there!" Wufei had to fight to keep his voice down to its usual octave as he made his demands.

By all outer appearances, he looked angry. But on the inside he was far from it. It was panic controlling his emotions. Fear. Wufei was afraid and he showed it the same way he showed all the other emotions he felt, by looking angry.

"We're still not sure exactly what happened," one Preventer about a year older than Wufei answered. "We think it was faulty equipment. As far as casualties go, no one is reported to be seriously injured. The medical truck should be back any minute with the group."

Wufei was already out of the room before the last words could be spoken. He raced through the corridors, almost knocking down a few of his comrades in his haste. But the insults they shouted at him were the last things on his mind as he burst from the base exit and paced impatiently outside.

Within a few minutes the medical truck could be seen coming down the road. He stood his ground, fists clenched until they shook as the truck approached. Wufei looked mad, but he wasn't. He was full of anxiety. That truck was coming too slow for his comfort.

_Get over here! Damn you truck!_ Wufei's irrational mind cursed. Right now he needed something to blame, something to be angry at. Even if it wasn't anger he felt.

The vehicle slowly pulled to a stop next to the impatient Chinese man. Members of the explosives crew slowly started exiting out of the canopy covering the back. They all looked fairly dirty but none too worse for wear. In the front passenger seat, with bright blue eyes clear as ever, was Sally Po. She looked just as dirty as the others, if not more so as she got out. She spotted Wufei and her smile brightened.

But Wufei wasn't smiling. He looked mad, but he wasn't. He was relieved, relieved beyond words. All his worries and fears were put to rest. Sally was safe.

"Wufei, what are you doing out here?" Sally asked cheerfully. "I thought you'd be in bed after that day you pulled. Don't tell me you were worried about me."

"Foolhardy woman!" Wufei barked. "Do you not have two brain cells to rub together? One little mistake and you all could have been annihilated. So don't come back here and try to start pleasantries with me! Besides," Wufei added with an indignant sniff. "The explosions were keeping me awake."

Sally merely smiled and patted Wufei on the shoulder. "Thank you for the concern."

Wufei's blood did a slow boil. How dare this woman act like she knew him so well? Even though in all actuality, she did. Probably better than anyone else. And it was Sally Po alone who would continue to put up with Wufei's rants and insults on a daily basis. It had never been said officially, but Sally was his friend. His best friend. Perhaps his only friend.

"If it's any consolation," Sally then added. "Yes, I was a little too foolhardy today and I almost did get killed. This girl just seemed to appear out of nowhere. She pushed me away from the explosion and saved my life."

Any and all retaliatory comments Wufei was planning were forgotten at the revelation.

"What!" he sputtered. "You mean she actually appeared to you? It took me over seven hours to hunt that woman down!"

Sally raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean she was what you were looking for the other day? That poor girl?"

Wufei just mumbled something hateful under his breath. Sally started to chuckle and Wufei bristled at her actions once again.

"Wufei, why didn't you just say so when I asked you?" Sally laughed.

Wufei lowered his head and looked up at her through his eyebrows. This position made him look even more irritated than before.

"In truth, I did not know what I was going after when I started. But now I believe that girl was the pilot of that shuttle."

Sally sobered after that. "Are you certain? I'm going to have to ask her about that."

Wufei chuckled. "You're too late woman, she's probably miles away from here now."

The smirk slowly started to return to Sally's face. "Oh really? Because last time I checked she was sitting in the back of the truck."

Wufei's eyes widened and he suddenly dashed to the back of the medical truck to see this for himself. Sally wasn't far behind him. Wufei thrust his head through the canopy and glared at what he saw. It was the same girl all right. She was sitting on a crate while a young medic in training was doing the best he could to doctor the horribly dirty, bloody burns on her leg. The girl herself was cursing a blue streak every time he touched her while she hastily bandaged her arm in a very sloppy fashion. She was halfway through tearing some medical tape with her teeth when she noticed Wufei.

"You!" she cried in surprise.

"Kisima..." Wufei muttered under his breath.

Sally pushed him aside as she entered. "I'll take over from here," she told the young medic. He looked grateful to be relieved and quickly excused himself from the truck. Sally knelt down and started attending to the wound with her gentler and more experienced touch. The girl hissed through her teeth at the pain but continued to attend to her arm. Sally took note that through this she kept a wary eye on Wufei as did he as he crawled into the truck as well.

"Thanks again for saving me earlier," Sally said as she worked. "It's amazing with all your injuries that you were able to push me out of the way like that."

The girl shrugged. "No problem. Besides, I couldn't just sit by and watch."

Sally nodded. "So I take it that you and Wufei have already met?"

"More or less."

"She evaded me when I tried to bring her in," Wufei said as he glared. "This woman has much explaining to do and I suggest she do it fast."

"Wufei," Sally warned, but he ignored her.

The girl looked away guiltily and stared at the wrappings on her arm so she wouldn't have to look at him. "My name is Felicia," she said quietly.

Sally looked up from her work. "Just Felicia?"

The girl shrugged weakly. "I'm afraid I really can't tell you much. If I told you what I know you probably wouldn't believe me."

"And just what is that exactly?" Wufei snorted. "What do you have to tell us, woman, that's so hard to believe?"

The girl, now designated as Felicia, shrugged again. "I don't know. I don't know how I got here or what I'm doing here. I'm not even sure where here is. The last thing I remember was that explosion I got caught in. The rest is all blank."

Wufei glared hard at her. The girl was right, he didn't believe her. And he sure as hell didn't trust her as far as he could throw her.

"Well my name is Major Sally and we'll do whatever we can to help you out Felicia," Sally said kindly.

"Thank you," the girl smiled back. She winced again as Sally continued trying to clean the huge burn on her leg.

Wufei clenched his fists in disgust. This stranger could be a spy for all he knew and Sally was just welcoming her in with open arms. She was too kind for her own good. Too softhearted and far too weak. Wufei stood up with a growl. For Sally's sake he would have to be strong.

"Are you daft woman?" he barked. "We have no idea where she came from or whose side she's on! We are not some charity group! I say we turn this female in before we regret even helping her."

Felicia bit her lip and looked down at the floor at Wufei's words. She looked scared and on the inside she was terrified. What were they going to do to her? Her eyes watered up, but she would not allow them to spill over. She turned her head as so not to let his angry young man see what he had done. But Sally saw it and wasn't too pleased.

"Wufei," she said in a heated tone as she stood up to face the shorter pilot. "I suggest you get back into that base right now. Nothing going on here concerns you and right now I'd rather not have to put up with you."

Wufei's eyes widened in surprise but then narrowed in challenge. "Woman," he growled dangerously. "I think you are forgetting your place."

Sally only got angrier at the threat. i Why you arrogant little bastard/i she thought, but kept that little remark to herself.

"Wrong Wufei, I remember my place quite well thank you. And as your superior I am ordering you to remove yourself from my truck before I do it for you."

Wufei stared her down for a minute more before turning on his heel while letting out a frustrated growl. He stormed out of the truck and marched moodily for the base. He mumbled all things horrible and nasty about women under his breath as he went. Wufei looked mad. And on the inside, this time he truly was.

* * *

Somewhere up in space, a satellite silently orbited the planet. A light on the machine flickered as it received its commands. From an unknown location, fingers danced across a control panel. The spy camera on the satellite enhanced the view below it many fold until the Preventers base on Earth could be seen. Eyes opened wide as the screen settled on the truck waiting outside and a tall, golden-haired woman helped a young girl limp slowly into the building.

A hand, lightened by the dim glow of the monitor, reached out and picked up the near by phone while the other hand typed in a familiar code. From the shadows came words in a steady voice as lips moved.

"Yeah, it's me. I found her," the owner of the voice leaned back in his chair as he watched the screen. "Her landing on Earth is confirmed. Now all we have to do is proceed with our plans."

* * *

"Miss Peacecraft, you've got a call from space on the vid screen."

Relena looked up from her paper work when the voice on the speaker addressed her. "Thank you Ms. Johnson, I'll answer it right away."

She turned to the large computer stationed on one side of her desk and punched up the screen. Her eyes brightened as she was met by a familiar face.

"Millardo!" she smiled happily. "How wonderful to see you!"

"Relena," her older brother, Millardo Peacecraft, smiled back. "I've missed hearing from you. Have things around the Cinq Kingdom been busy lately?"

Relena nodded. "You have no idea. Just yesterday I was in one of the most awful conferences...which reminds me, is Miss Noin available?"

Millardo chuckled. "I haven't heard from you in over a month and all you want to do is talk to Noin? I feel so loved."

"Sorry," Relena apologized. "I miss hearing from you, really. It's just that after hearing from Commander Girmaud at yesterday's peace conference, I am beginning to wonder why Noin chose him to be in charge of military issues. He didn't seem to be in favor of my proposal at all."

Millardo shrugged. "Well I'm sure Noin had a reason for putting him in charge. I'm sorry you can't ask her right now, she's clear on the other side of the planet and won't be back for a few days. Have you tried talking to this Commander of yours?"

Relena shook her head. "No. I suppose I should." She gave a sigh. "I really wish I had your help down here Millardo. Sometimes I just don't know what to do."

"Relena," Millardo said softly. "You know I can't do that. I've been far too involved with battles and bloodshed to be worthy of representing your kingdom. But as your brother, I will always be here if you need to talk."

Relena nodded, thankful for at least that much. "So how is your terra forming project going then?"

"Oh, don't get me started," Millardo replied with an exasperated voice. "I swear Relena, this planet is jinxed. Nothing ever works around here and everything imaginable always goes wrong. In fact, that's why Noin's gone at the moment. She's down supervising our under experienced equipment crew on how not to make idiots of themselves.

"Who would have thought colonizing Mars would be so hard? Half the time I want to strangle who ever had the bright idea of going to this miserable planet in the first place. I tell you Relena, half the time I do wish we could trade places. On some days I'd take a stuffy business room for these shoddy machines in a heartbeat."

Relena laughed at her brother's ranting. Millardo could always make her troubles disappear when she talked to him. Even if it was just for the moment. And even if he did refuse to help her run her pacifist kingdom, she still didn't know how she would have made it this far without him.

* * *

"Get up!"

Those were the only words Wufei heard before someone suddenly lifted up his mattress and he was dumped unceremoniously onto the floor. He snarled a few choice words as he rubbed his aching head. In his mind he was going over all the painful ways he could kill who had dared disturb his sleep. He gazed up at the one who was stupid enough to provoke his wrath and looked right into the angry blue eyes of Sally Po.

"Woman, what the hell are you trying to pull?" he demanded as he got to his feet. "Have you not tormented me enough for one day?"

"Not yet," Sally announced with a slight twinkle of humor in her eye. "I want you to go to the infirmary and apologize to that poor young girl about what you said earlier. Then I'll leave you in peace."

"What!" Wufei sputtered. "This is injustice! You wake me up for this?"

"Wufei," Sally pressed. "I don't think you realize just how much you hurt that girl's feelings. Just go and talk to her, please?"

"I most definitely will not!" Wufei folded his arms stubbornly over his chest and huffed. "It's her own fault for raising suspicions and telling that unbelievable story."

Sally regarded him coolly. "Do it Wufei, or you'll be working the midnight shift for the rest of your Preventer career."

Wufei's eyes widened. She wouldn't dare. Or would she? Was Wufei willing to take that chance? Deciding it wasn't worth it, Wufei stalked out of the bunkers and headed down the hall to the infirmary. Sally gave a triumphant smile as he retreated.

_I'll get to you yet Chang Wufei._

Grumbling to himself the whole way, Wufei did not feel charitable at all as he stepped into the medical room for the consequences that awaited him. The whole place was empty save for the young girl sitting on one of the beds. She was grumbling to herself as well as she tried in vain to wrap one of her burnt forearms.

For a moment Wufei watched her quietly, taking note that she had managed to catch a shower while he had been asleep. She was now dressed in an off white tank top and dark shorts--as wearing pants would have been too painful for her leg. Her hair was straight and so dark brown in was almost black. It ran down her back past her shoulders and shined with a healthy gleam in the light. Her round face and slightly tan skin give hint of oriental influence in her. She finally noticed Wufei and turned her slightly slanted green eyes upon him.

"You again," she said in annoyance. "What do you want?"

It was obvious Sally hadn't informed her of his visit. Wufei folded his arms and stared her down with his own dark eyes.

"I want the truth," he said levelly.

"I already gave it to you so why don't you just go away?" It was obvious some of the spunk Wufei had seen during their first encounter was surfacing again. Wufei just glared her down, knowing he couldn't leave until he had done what Sally sent him to do. The girl watched him silently then narrowed her eyes and said something quite unexpected.

"You look like you could use some sleep. Your eyes look really tired."

Having been caught off guard, Wufei's features softened a bit. It had been the only sympathy he had received all week and he decided to at least receive it gracefully. He sighed heavily before stepping further into the room.

"Would you like some help with that?" he asked, motioning to the sloppily bandaged arm.

"Um...yeah, I guess." Even though she relented, she watched Wufei carefully as he sat down next to her as he started unwrapping her previous work.

"You sure wrapped this tight. Doesn't it hurt?"

"Like hell," the girl nodded.

Wufei fought back a smile. No need to get too friendly with this stranger just because Sally sent him here. But as he set about rewrapping her arm more carefully, he could feel her eyes on him. She seemed as though she were trying to see through him, trying to figure him out. Wufei felt impressed to say something to her to quell her intense gaze.

"My name is Wufei," he spoke quietly.

The girl looked at him, a small smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "I'm Felicia."

Wufei pointed to a thin scar he noticed running vertically down her upper arm. "That's an interesting scar," he stated.

Felicia continued to smile. "Of all the scars I'm going to be getting from this and you think that one's interesting?"

Wufei just grunted in reply and moved to start bandaging the other arm. Felicia's face sobered as she watched him.

"It bothers you that I don't know where I'm from, doesn't it?" she asked sincerely.

Wufei didn't say anything, but kept working on her arm.

"Well as scary as you might think it is. It's a lot scarier for me."

Wufei looked up and their eyes met. He could see the sincerity and even a bit of fear in those eyes.

"Hn," he nodded and silently went back to work.

Felicia smiled slightly as she watched him. Perhaps there was a chance of reaching an understanding with his hot headed young man after all.

Unknown to them, from out in the hall, Sally Po had heard the whole thing. A small smile of satisfaction crept upon her full red lips.

_It wasn't a full apology, but not bad Wufei. Not bad at all._

_

* * *

_

The sun was starting to set as two figures strolled together down the sidewalk. Hilde had spent her afternoon giving Trowa and Catherine a tour of the city, showing them all the highlights and her favorite places to go. Catherine had made her nervous at first and she tried very hard to keep a good first impression with her. But as she continued on with Trowa at her side, softly asking questions here and there, Hilde just forgot Catherine was even there.

They ended the tour back at the circus grounds and Hilde's heart almost fluttered right out of her chest when Trowa had offered to walk her home--alone. Hilde couldn't believe this was happening. They had taken a short cut through the park and she couldn't help but notice the romantic scene they were in with the setting sun painting the sky with beautiful hues of pinks and purples at their backs. It was like a dream come true.

Hilde glanced at her companion. Trowa had remained silent the whole way. His hands were shoved in his pockets and his gaze remained on the path ahead as they went. With the profile view his position offered, his face was no longer covered by his hair and Hilde couldn't help but look again.

Oh, he was so handsome. She remembered the first time she saw him three years ago at the circus riding that lion. She had been smitten with his good looks from the start and had somehow managed to keep her small crush over these past few years even though she never got a chance to see him again after Libra.

After all, it was only a silly crush. She didn't even know Trowa and Duo already had a large spot in her heart then. Back then she loved him. Her charming, braided hero. Her laughing Shinigami. She had fallen for that infectious smile and his violet, mischievous eyes. But did she really ever love him? They were so young. Just what did sixteen year olds know about true love anyway? They had kissed before, but Duo never did say if he loved her.

It didn't matter now. Whatever future either of them planned for themselves, together it was not meant to be. Their relationship had lacked a certain something. Her heart never fluttered in her chest when she was close to Duo, not like it was doing now. There was no electricity when they touched. When Duo looked at her she never felt faint or giddy as opposed to when Trowa's deep green eyes would turn her way.

Her relationship with Duo was altogether far too casual. That was the perfect way to describe him and her. Casual. They had hit it right off and living with Duo was like living at home. He was more like family, a brother. She had loved him, loved him with a sisterly love and that was all. And then that terrible day occurred, that day Hilde had decided to leave. She didn't want to even think about it now. Not when there were far better things coming to mind. Hilde stole another glance at Trowa and smiled, not wishing for this evening to end.

But all Hilde's fantasies were brought to an abrupt halt as they reached her garage which also doubled as her house.

"Thank you, Trowa, for walking me home," she said, looking shyly down at her feet.

"It was no problem," he answered as if on automatic.

Hilde frowned on the inside. Was he always this remote to people? She idly wondered if she could change that if they were closer.

"I really had fun today. I'm glad to have the opportunity to meet with you. But your friend Catherine, I don't think she likes me much," Hilde admitted.

Trowa shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about her. Catherine doesn't mean to come off as judgmental. She's just protective of me. But I suppose that's what comes with the territory of being her only baby brother."

Hilde gasped in surprise. "You mean she's your sister?" She laughed. "And here I've been thinking the whole time she was some kind of jealous girlfriend. Oh I'm so relieved!"

Trowa's face held mild surprise as Hilde suddenly slapped her hands over her mouth from what she had just revealed. Her face instantly went beet red.

_Stupid Hilde! Stupid! Stupid! What's he going to think of you now?_

"Um...I--I better go now!" Hilde gushed and raced into her house, slamming the door in Trowa's face.

Only when she was inside did she realize the other horrible thing she had done.

"Why am I such an idiot!" she berated herself out loud.

Hilde was now embarrassed beyond words. She went and hid behind the couch, praying for Trowa just to leave as soon as possible. She could never ever face him again, not in a thousand years.

But unseen to her, Trowa had remained staring at the door for a moment longer after she had shut it in his face. His features returned to their usual placidness as he stood there. Then suddenly, his face softened into a thoughtful expression. With hands in his pockets, Trowa turned to head back to the circus grounds, a hint of a smile playing softly on his lips.


	4. Chapter 4: In the Days that Followed

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Four: In the Days That Followed

Quatre steered his car slowly up a rocky driveway and parked it in front of a large brick house with white pillars. He stepped out and took a moment to survey the scene. The house was in perfect shape. Quatre surmised it was newly built since the lawn hadn't been planted yet and nothing but dirt and weeds surrounded the house. Clothed in his usual attire of a dress shirt, pants and vest, Quatre strolled up the newly cemented walkway to the front door. He went to ring the doorbell only to find that it hadn't been installed yet so he had to settle for knocking.

He waited a few minutes before the sound of feet approaching could be heard from inside. The door flew open and the bright eyed form of Candy Reeves met his gaze. She was dressed quite casually which caught Quatre off guard. In bear feet, Candy wore khaki green sweats, a beige tank top, and a pink bandana was tied over her hair. Quatre looked her over fumbling for words.

"I'm sorry, it appears that I overdressed."

Candy laughed. "Not at all. Please forgive me Mr. Winner, I'm underdressed. Come in."

Quatre graciously accepted the invitation and stepped inside. "Please, call me Quatre."

"Okay...Quatre," Candy grinned, testing his name out. "You'll have to excuse our house. We just moved in a few days ago and we still have a lot of unpacking to do."

"Oh, don't worry about it, it's quite alright," Quatre replied, now taking note of the condition of the house.

It still smelled new; of freshly laid carpet and paint. As Candy led the way out of the foyer into the main room he could see a few boxes stacked up in the corners here and there. Few pieces of furniture were scattered about, waiting to be placed in their proper positions.

"Hang tight right here while I go get my dad," Candy ordered.

Quatre nodded as she headed for the staircase. He idly looked about him as he expected Candy to climb up the stairs to fetch her father. But all she did was remain by the bottom step and cup her mouth with her hands.

"DAAAAD! YOUR APPOINTMENT'S HEEEEERE!"

Quatre jumped at the sudden out burst but quickly composed himself as Candy returned.

"He'll be down in a minute," she said sweetly.

Quatre chuckled politely and fiddled with his collar. He jumped as a felt something land on his foot.

"Yah! What the!"

A sad eyed basset hound looked up at him pathetically as he laid his head and a paw on Quatre's shoe and wagged his stubby little tail.

"I see you've met the whole family now," Mr. Reeves smiled as he came down the stairs.

"Family?" Quatre asked as he raised a skeptic eyebrow at the mass of fur on his foot.

"Yup, he's my baby," Candy cooed as she knelt down and started to baby talk the little dog and scratch his ears. "That's right isn't it, you're my little precious, aren't you. My little baby puppy precious, yes you are! My little Killer!"

Quatre chuckled. "You named him Killer?"

"Yeah, he's my mean, vicious attack dog! Grrrr!" Candy lifted the dog's top lip, revealing his teeth and growled for him. Killer, in turn, just made a doggy groan and rolled over on his back. Candy laughed and scratched his tummy.

"Alright Candace, you've kept Mr. Winner long enough," Mr. Reeves said tolerantly. "We've got business matters we need to discuss and you've got more unpacking to do."

"Yes Daddy," Candy said obediently. With a bit of extra effort, she managed to gather the basset hound in her arms and stand up. "Killer's going to help Mommy unpack, aren't you?" she said to the dog. "Say good-bye to Grandpa, Baby. Kisses."

The expression on Mr. Reeves' face after being referred to as "Grandpa" was priceless. He didn't look too thrilled as Killer was brought up so he could lick his face. "Candace please," Mr. Reeves said as he pushed the dog away.

Quatre couldn't help but laugh at the scene. But he quickly remembered his manners and tried to disguise his laugh to sound more like a cough.

"Sorry Dad, we're going," Candy apologized as she turned to head into the other room with her "baby". "Bye Quatre."

Quatre smiled and waved at shyly at her as she left. Mr. Reeves cleared his throat to gain Quatre's attention.

"This way, Mr. Winner, we'll have the meeting up stairs."

Quatre nodded and let Mr. Reeves lead the way.

"I'm sure Candy already explained to you why our house is in such utter chaos. We arrived on this colony last weekend but we're only recently receiving the last of our things. I do have an office in town but it's in even worse shape than this right now so we'll have to make do."

He led Quatre into a small room. There was a desk in the middle with two chairs, several more boxes stacked in the corner and little else. He offered Quatre a seat and then took his own behind the desk.

"Uh, Mr. Reeves," Quatre said politely. "If this was such a hassle we could have held the meeting in my office."

"Yes, my daughter pointed that out to me this morning as well. I'll have to remember that for next time."

Quatre tried to hide his smile. He could sense the humor in Mr. Reeves' voice. He was very good at reading people. Quatre could tell that the professional guise this man wore was only a facade put on for his associates. He could clearly see another person hidden beneath the one in the expensive suit and tight expression.

"And speaking of which," Mr. Reeves went on. "I must apologize for my daughter's lack of formality."

"Oh no, that's perfectly alright," Quatre assured him. "I asked her to call me by my first name. I figured it would be appropriate since we are the same age, aren't we?"

Mr. Reeves nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose that's true. Though sometimes I forget, she's growing up too fast."

Quatre smiled as a look of reverie covered Mr. Reeves' face. The older man quickly shook himself of it and pulled out a large portfolio.

"Shall we get started Mr. Winner?"

In the hours that followed, the two discussed everything from resource satellites to politics to company stats and records. Quatre got a view of what it was like working with his father as Mr. Reeves mentioned business in the old days. Mr. Reeves, in turn, learned that behind the innocent boyish eyes Quatre had a keen mind for planning and keeping order. The meeting had been quite a success from several points and the two were talking like old friends by the time it was finished.

"Well, it was wonderful getting together with you Mr. Winner," Mr. Reeves said as they shook hands. "I'm looking forward to doing further business with you in the future."

"Likewise," Quatre replied.

From down stairs, a shrill voice cried out.

"Ah! Daddy! It came! It came!"

Quatre looked at the smiling Mr. Reeves curiously as they headed down the stairs. Below they found Candy tugging a thin, yet still very large rectangular box across the floor. She was using all the strength she had, however, the box made its way quite slowly across the floor.

"Look what the mover guys brought us," Candy panted as she took a break from pulling the object. "I'm going to take it out back."

"Honestly Candace, I can't believe you're hauling that thing through the house," Mr. Reeves berated. "You're going to ruin our floor."

"Hi Quatre," Candy greeted, ignoring her father. "Wanna help us put up our trampoline?"

"I'm sure Mr. Winner has important matters to attend to," Mr. Reeves argued. "Now let's get this thing outside."

"Here, let me help," Quatre offered as he reached for a corner of the box.

The three of them together managed to lift the large object and squeeze it out the doors onto the barren yard out back.

"You sure you can't stay longer?" Candy asked Quatre.

"Candace," her father warned.

"Actually," Quatre interjected. "I really don't have anything else planned today. If it's alright with you, I'd love to stay and help."

"Great!" Candy exclaimed before her father could intercede. "Oh, but this thing's kind of old and dirty. You probably don't want to get those nice clothes ruined. Hey, I know! I think we've got some of Jonathan's old clothes packed away somewhere. Come on!"

She grabbed Quatre's arm and pulled him into the house before he or her father could argue. Mr. Reeves was already done reprimanding for the day. He watched the two disappear in the house and a small appreciative smile crossed his face.

"Let's see, I know I put them around here somewhere," Candy was saying as she dug through stacks of boxes. "We have a lot of Jonathan's old stuff. Dad never throws anything away."

Quatre stood off to the side, idly looking around as Candy continued her search. His blue green eyes happened upon a group of picture frames sitting in an open box. The picture on top was of a tall young man smiling while he had a younger looking Candy in a head lock who was also grinning at the camera.

"Is this Jonathan?" Quatre asked.

Candy stopped momentarily to observe the picture. "Yup, that's my older brother John. He was killed a couple years ago in the war."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Quatre said in a quite voice.

Candy gave him a small smile. "Don't be, it wasn't your fault."

Quatre's brows furrowed in shame. That wasn't necessarily true. Little did she know that those pale white hands of his were stained with the blood of many men. Countless soldiers had died at his hands, many leaving behind families just like this one. And it was his fault; it was all his fault that they didn't ever come back.

"Ah, here we go," Candy announced.

Quatre was torn from his thoughts at the sound of her voice. He replaced the picture he had been clutching to his chest and looked up as the red haired girl approached him. Candy dumped some cloths into his arms.

"Here, these might be a little big on you but they were the best I could find. You can change in that room right there."

Quatre silently obeyed and closed the door behind him to get dressed. He took a few minutes to examine the clothes. Clothes worn by a young soldier now dead. Quatre closed his eyes, silently praying for the previous owner to forgive him for what he was about to do. Then he slowly started to unbutton his shirt.

Candy was still waiting outside in her sweats and tank top when Quatre emerged. She took one look at him and giggled. He was wearing a white sleeveless shirt under a blue button up shirt which was tucked in and buttoned with the collar straight and the cuffs fastened. The blonde young man could not understand her reaction to his appearance. He thought he looked fine, so why was she laughing? Quatre had to try hard to hide his annoyance.

"What?" he demanded.

Candy stopped laughing and gave him a doubtful look. "Do you always have to be so proper? We're just going out back for crying out loud."

Quatre was confused. "What's wrong with this?" he wondered.

Candy shook her head. She wondered if he had ever dressed casual in his entire life.

"Here, pull out your shirt and unbutton it."

Quatre looked hesitant but did as he was told. At the same time, Candy was unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up his sleeves for him.

"And for the final touch," Candy snatched a worn ball cap out of one of the boxes and plopped it crookedly on Quatre's head.

Quatre smiled a little as he adjusted the cap so it would fit better. He really had never done this before. Even during his Gundam days he had been taught to dress a notch above the rest. It was a sign of his status. He was a Winner and he had to look it. This casual style was all new to him and it was kind of fun.

"Now how do I look?" Quatre announced.

"Like common street trash," Mr. Reeves announced as he came in.

"Daddy," Candy berated. "Be nice. I think he looks good in that style."

Quatre blushed faintly at the compliment and by now, even Mr. Reeves was smiling.

"Alright you two, now go out and get to work then."

"Right," Candy saluted playfully and ran outside. Quatre momentarily stayed behind.

"I hope this isn't going to make you think any less of me professionally," Quatre said to the man old enough to be his father.

Mr. Reeves, this time, gave him a genuine smile. "I've seen what you can do. Whatever happens today will make no difference. Go out and have fun."

Quatre looked at him and smiled thankfully. From outside, Candy let out a blood curdling scream.

"Candy!" Quatre gasped as fear suddenly gripped his heart.

Mr. Reeves placed a hand on his shoulder to stop the young man from making a mad dash for the back yard.

"It's alright," he assured the younger man with humor brimming in his eyes. "I know that scream. That just means that Candace found a--"

"SPIDER! EWW EWW EWW!" Candace jumped back into the house and started ranting to no one in particular. "A big, fatty spider! It was in the box! Gross! Gross!" She danced around and made a face as if something slimy had just slithered down her back. "It was one of those stupid jumping spiders again Daddy! It attacked me! They're everywhere around this place! I hate this colony!"

Mr. Reeves merely laughed openly while Quatre chuckled a bit to himself.

"Well, I'm glad someone finds this funny," Candy huffed indignantly as she marched back outside.

Candy wouldn't touch the box after that and she made Quatre and her father get everything out by themselves. It was only after the frame of the trampoline had been set up then did Candy join them to start putting in all the springs. Around this time, Mr. Reeves was called into the house for a phone call, leaving the two teenagers outside by themselves. Quatre and Candy were quiet for the most part as they focused on their task. A few minutes later, the raised voice of Mr. Reeves could be heard from inside the house.

"Hmm...Daddy must be talking to Walter again," Candy commented as she added another spring. "They're like best friends but whenever he calls he always tells my dad something he doesn't want to hear, you know?"

Quatre nodded, he could understand that. The trampoline was almost finished and it took both their collective strengths to stretch the material enough to get the last spring in.

"And now to try it out," Candy cheered and immediately climbed on. " But you'll have to take your shoes off first. Come on Quatre, jump with me!"

Quatre eyed the thing reluctantly. "Umm..I don't know Candy, I don't really..."

"Aww come on, just give it a try. It's not that bad," Candy coaxed. "Here, give me your hand."

Quatre slowly took the hand held out to him and climbed onto the trampoline. He remained clinging to Candy's arm as he tried to get used to the unsteady ground below his feet. Candy couldn't help but laugh at the expression on his face.

"Just relax," she coaxed. "Now bend your knees and jump!"

Quatre did as he was told. He gave a weak little jump and almost fell over as Candy's stronger bounce knocked him off balance.

"Calm down Quatre, here give me your hands. Now jump with me."

"Okay..." Quatre replied hesitantly.

He held Candy's hands in his as they began to jump together, very small at first. Slowly Quatre started to get the hang of it and they were jumping higher. Pretty soon Candy let go and he was bouncing all by himself.

"Hey! I think I got it!" Quatre replied excitedly.

"Yeah, look at you!" Candy laughed. "You're a natural!"

Candy jumped extra high, landed on her backside and then bounced back to her feet. This caused Quatre to loose his balance again and he fell over.

"Sorry about that," Candy laughed.

"That's okay," Quatre replied weakly. "I think I'm done now, I'm getting a headache."

He proceeded to crawl over the edge and carefully climb off. He then sat himself down in the dirt and set about putting his shoes back on.

"That's okay Quatre," Candy said as she jumped more freely on the trampoline by herself. "Drinking water helps get rid of the headache when you jump." She did a high back flip, landing rather sloppily before leaning over the edge of the frame and rolling off it, landing in a sitting position next to Quatre. "I guess the trampoline isn't for everyone."

Quatre just shrugged.

"Bad news Candace," Mr. Reeves called as he stepped outside. "I've got some urgent problems I've got to attend to. We won't be able to go to town today. I'm sorry."

Candy slumped her shoulders in disappointment. "This always happens," she sighed.

"I know honey, but it can't be helped. Maybe next weekend, alright?"

Candy shrugged. "I guess I could go by myself."

"No, I don't think so," Mr. Reeves argued. "You don't know the city that well and I don't want you running around in a strange town by yourself."

"Umm...I know the city," Quatre spoke up.

Candy turned to him, eyes sparkling. "You wanna go to the city with me Quatre?"

"Uh, sure," Quatre looked up at Mr. Reeves. "If that's alright."

Mr. Reeves smiled. "That would be fine with me, just don't be back home too late."

"Yes!" Candy squealed. "I'm going to go get dressed."

Without another word, Candy raced into the house to put on some nicer clothes. Mr. Reeves just continued to smile as Quatre stood up.

"I hope you know what you're getting into," he said.

Quatre grinned. "Well, if this morning was any indication, I think I'll be fine."

* * *

A dusty green jeep with the Preventer's logo on the door pulled up to a small house located on the outskirts of the city. A lanky young man with jet black hair and a Preventer's uniform stepped out and walked up to the front door. Wufei adjusted his jacket before knocking three short times. After a moment the door flung open. Wufei had expected a woman behind it, but a tall woman with golden brown hair, not a shorter, younger woman with dark brownish black hair.

"So, back for more, huh?" Felicia asked with a hint of humor in her voice.

But Wufei hadn't really heard. All he could do was stare. Felicia was dressed in a deep red oriental style type suit with a straight collar around her neck and a hem line that went down to her thighs. She wore black pants underneath. Cloths probably borrowed from Sally as they seemed a bit big on her. Her hair was also done up similar to Sally's. Two pony tails fastened low hanging in front of the shoulders. Only her hair was strait instead of curled.

What she was wearing, however, wasn't the main thing that caught Wufei's attention. He couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him. If Felicia were only a few years younger she'd look just like...

_No!_

Wufei shook his head. His foolish mind was making things up. He had to keep it out of the past and get his eyes to quit seeing things. Meanwhile, Felicia mistook his silence as disapproval and frowned.

"What? You no like?" she asked, referring to how she looked.

At that statement, Wufei quickly put on his usually grim persona and shouldered past her into the house.

"I'm here for Sally," he stated simply.

"Who isn't," Felicia replied with boredom as she shut the door behind him.

Since her discovery almost a week ago, Sally had graciously invited the still amnesic Felicia to stay with her in her small house. As Felicia, for the most part, remained at the house to recover from her injuries she had seen many a Preventers officer come and go, always looking for Sally.

"Sally's in her room, she'll be out in a minute," Felicia informed him.

With thus said, she headed off out the nearest doorway which let to a small practice room. Wufei remained where he was until a few moments had passed and Sally still hadn't shown up. He then decided to wander to the practice room doorframe to see what was going on inside.

The room was quite small and practically empty, save for a few oriental scrolls on the wall and a little mat on the wood floor. A single crutch leaned on the wall near the doorway. Sally had got it for Felicia, insisting that her leg would heal faster if she stayed off it. But Felicia hardly ever used it and seemed to prefer to walk on it even it if did prove to be more painful.

Felicia was sitting on the mat in the middle of the room. He legs were spread to either side of her and she was leaning forward in attempts to stretch them out. She stood up and went through the process of more complicated stretches which seemed to be meshed in with a few practice fighting techniques. But she did them very slowly as if not sure how they went and Wufei could also tell by the look on her face that moving her leg was still painful.

"What are you doing woman?" Wufei finally asked as he stepped into the room.

"Not sure exactly," Felicia admitted. "Just working out I guess."

"Don't those moves cause you a lot of pain?"

Felicia never stopped her routine as she replied. "Sometimes. I don't know why, but I've just got this urge to do this. It's like this urgent need to be ready for something, you know?"

Wufei raised an eyebrow at her. _Natural warrior instincts. Interesting..._

"And just what are those moves you are doing?" he asked again.

Felicia swung her body around in a new stance. Her body language looked a bit unsure, as if she was trying to remember something long forgotten.

"I don't know. But it just feels familiar somehow."

Wufei chuckled low. " Probably got it off a movie somewhere."

Felicia smiled, not catching the taunting tone in Wufei's voice--or ignoring it. "Maybe I did. You never know."

"Wufei," Sally greeted, dressed in civilian clothes, as she entered the room. "I didn't know you made house calls."

"Do not joke with me woman," Wufei shot back. "I have important matters to discuss with you and coming to your house was the only way I could find you."

Sally leaned casually against the door frame. "Well you've got me now. What do you want to do with me?"

Wufei narrowed his eyes in nonappreciation for the underlaying meaning of her question. "We need to discuss some things." He glanced quickly at Felicia. "Alone."

Sally nodded, but her smile never left. "Come with me, I know the perfect spot for us to be...alone."

"Woman!"

Felicia chuckled to herself as they left. From her few days staying here she had learned that Sally seemed to enjoy teasing this uptight, hot headed young man who called himself Wufei. Most of the Preventers didn't want to have anything to do with the Chinese pilot and all his rude outbursts. But oddly enough, Major Sally Po always came back for more. It was because Sally was such a kind and understanding person. She seemed close to Wufei despite their constant banter. Felicia surmised Sally insisted on teasing Wufei so at least he would have an excuse for yelling at her.

Meanwhile, Sally led Wufei into the kitchen and they both took a seat around the table.

"Now," Sally began. "What's so important that you had to corner me at my own house?"

Wufei never changed his expression at Sally's attempt to get him to loosen up. "I do not know if you have forgotten already, but we do have a report due to Commander Une about a certain shuttle crash. You still have not specified what you would like to have in this report."

That statement sobered Sally right up as Wufei knew it would. So far the report on the shuttle crash contained the information on what was found by the clean up crew the day after. It made no mention whatsoever of the mysterious girl that was found in the woods or that she now lived in Sally's house and had no recollection of why she was on Earth. Whether that bit of information was to be included in the report or not was Sally's call. And while she was making a decision, her phone rang.

"I got it," Felicia called from the other room.

She picked up the ringing receiver and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

She instantly pushed the phone away from her ear as a high pitched squeal bombarded her senses. At first she thought the piercing sound to be merely rude and annoying. But suddenly it was as if someone had slapped her. In her mind it felt like a gate had opened and everything previously locked away in Felicia's head was suddenly let loose. In an instant her awareness was flooded with dates, people, places, pictures, sounds, words, promises, pains, emotions, voices, and memories. Felicia felt like she was drowning in a wave of information as everything that had made up her came back to her mind and a wave of nausea swept through her as a result of the overload.

The connection was broken now as whatever was on the other end hung up, leaving just a dead tone buzzing on the receiver. Felicia laid a hand on the desk to steady herself as she almost dropped the phone. Her body shook as her breaths came out in labored gasps and her eyes were wide. She stared at the phone as if it had just told her off her own death and her lip trembled.

"Who was it Felicia?" Sally's voice called from the other room.

"Wrong number," Felicia managed to rasp out.

Very slowly she returned the phone back to its cradle. A shiver went through her spine and she rubbed her forehead with her fingers. Letting out a deep breath she ran her hand through her bangs and then proceeded to head back to the small practice room. She returned to the middle and stood with eyes closed, breathing deeply. She reached out inwardly for all the old thoughts and feelings coming back to her. This is who she was--what she would always be. Suddenly her eyes popped open as she narrowed them in intense concentration as she began her training.

"This is what we'll do for now," Sally said to Wufei, motioning to the report they had recently put together. "The report from the day after the crash will remain as it was. We will make no mention of Felicia until we can get more information on who she is and where she came from. Until then, we will tell Lady Une we are keeping this case open so future details can be added later."

Wufei nodded as he gathered up all the papers and stuck them back in their folder. Sally's decision was an intelligent one and she was wise to proceed as she had explained it. Of course, he would never tell her that out loud.

"Now Wufei," Sally announced as she stood. "I assume you can let yourself out. I'll be at the base in about an hour."

Wufei nodded again and turned on his heel to head back out the way he had come. He walked out of the kitchen, but paused as he once again traveled past the open doorway of the little practice room. He raised his eyebrows in mild surprise from the sight that met him as he looked within.

It was the same girl that was in there earlier and yet, she was not the same. Gone were the hesitant gestures and the unsure body language. Gone was the lost, questioning face and the empty eyes. In their place stood confidence, assurity, determination, and intelligence. Her moves now were sharper, faster, more focused as she jabbed and kicked in routines now seeming quite familiar to her. Her face no longer showed the wince of pain each time she moved as if her wound was gone--or ignored. Her eyes were intense and focused so much that Felicia never even notice Wufei standing in the doorway or his confused departure. All she knew was that she had a mission and she needed to do everything in her power to get ready for it.

* * *

"So this is your city mall," Candy commented as she looked around the place. "Nice. So where should we go first?"

Quatre shrugged. "To tell the truth, I've never actually been inside this building before."

Candy shot him an incredulous look. "You must be joking."

Quatre shook his head, his blonde bangs swishing in front of his eyes.

Candy laughed and grabbed his arm. "Quatre, we have got to get you out more. Come on."

The blonde young man obeyed as she pulled him further inside. Even though it was her first time in this mall, Candy looked right at home as she strolled casually past the usual crowd of mall goers. Quatre, on the other hand, felt like a fish out of water. There were so many people here. He always hated large crowds, they were too noisy and pushy for his liking. Also, the strange clothes of her brother's Candy had insisted he continue wearing made him feel even more out of place.

Candy suddenly chuckled as a thought came to her. "You know what's funny Quatre? When you're walking around and everyone starts looking at you BECAUSE YOU'RE TALKING TOO LOUD! AHHHH!"

Quatre felt his cheeks get hot and he tried to hide his face as many of the people gave the couple odd looks as they passed. Candy just laughed, causing more people to look their way. The blonde young man groaned inwardly. Perhaps he did not know what he was getting into. But even though he was trying to hide his embarrassment, Candy noticed.

"Oh, sorry about that Quatre. I guess I'm making you a bit uncomfortable, huh?"

Quatre shrugged even though Candy was right on the mark.

"So what exactly are we shopping for?" Quatre asked in a small voice. He was almost afraid for the answer. Already he could picture long waits in lingerie stores or hair salons as most horror stories went for guys who took their girls to the mall.

But Candy didn't seem to notice and merely shrugged at the question. "Oh, nothing in particular. I'm just here to look around and---Oh how cute! Make a right!"

Quatre barely had time to blink before he was yanked into a store by the young redhead on his arm. It turned out to be a kind of wildlife shop with all sorts of posters, t-shirts, key chains, and other odds and ends with all kinds of animals printed on them. Candy seemed most interested in the shelves stocked with stuffed animals near the window.

"Oh, I love it!" Candy cried as she snuggled a stuffed wolf pup. "Mmm, I love the feel of new stuffed animals, they're so soft." She put down the puppy and browsed through the other animals. "Here Quatre, just for you," she announced as she turned and placed a fuzzy snake around his neck. "Oh, it's very you. Quite stylish, I must say!"

"Yeah, I'll wear it to my next party," Quatre chuckled as he unraveled the toy and put it back on its respective shelf with the rest of its fuzzy snake friends.

"Heh, I'd like to see everyone's face if you would have brought that a few days ago," Candy replied. "Oh! Look at this!" She snatched up another stuffed animal and hugged it close. "A baby penguin. Aww, I love penguins. I wonder how much it is--WOA!"

Candy's eyes got really wide when she saw the price tag and quickly put the toy back as if it were going to bite her. With the same expression still on her face she once again grabbed Quatre's arm and pulled him back out into the melee of shoppers.

"Price too high, must leave now," she said as if her life depended on it.

Quatre gave her a funny look as they raced away from the store. "You're quite a compulsive person, aren't you?"

"How ever did you guess," Candy grinned sheepishly as she slowed her pace. "I get it from my mother."

"Hmm, if you don't mind, may I ask where is your mother? She's the only member of your family I haven't seen."

"And you probably won't," Candy informed him. "My parents are divorced."

Quatre instantly felt bad for asking. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"I'm not," Candy replied. "My parents couldn't stand each other. And my mom...well, I could say some bad things about her right now but I'm not going to. But trust me, both my parents are much, much happier now."

Quatre opened his mouth to comment but was cut off by a female cry from somewhere in the crowd.

"QUATRE!"

Both Quatre and Candy turned around at the sound of the voice and the later's eyes went wide in surprise as a whole battalion of girls--all blonde-- suddenly surrounded her male escort. Candy had to jump to the side as not to get mobbed as the group started chatting up a storm all around the blonde young man.

"Quatre! It's great to see you again!"

"Woa, Quatre look at you!"

"Who dressed you today?"

"What are you doing at the mall?"

"I think he looks cool!"

"But Quatre, you never go shopping!"

"It's been too long since I've seen you!"

"Nice hat!"

"Woa, woa, slow down you guys," Quatre begged. "One at a time, please." Quatre looked around the mob of blonde heads for her certain red head of hair. "Now where did she...oh, there you are."

Quatre slid between two of the girls over to Candy who was watching the whole scenario skeptically.

"What is this, the Quatre Fan Club?" Candy asked, motioning to the group of older girls.

Quatre gave a lopsided smiled. "Kind of, they're my sisters."

Candy's eyes grew wide yet again. "All of them?" she marveled. There had to be at least six or seven in the group.

"Yeah," Quatre replied with a blush.

"Hey Quatre," one of the girls called. "Who's this with you?"

"You didn't tell us you had a girlfriend!" another one called.

"Woo woo! Go Quatre! Ow!"

Quatre hid his face with his hand and moaned. How was he going to explain this one? He took a deep breath and put on a brave face in front of his nosy sisters.

"Hey you guys, what are you all doing here? No one told me you were coming in."

"We were coming to stay with you to celebrate your birthday next week," the tallest of the girls explained. "More of us will be arriving later on. It was supposed to be a surprise."

Quatre smiled. "Well, I'm surprised. Don't worry about that?"

"More of us?" Candy repeated. "How many sisters do you have?"

"Uh, twenty-nine?" Quatre replied quietly.

"Woa! I bet you had a heck of a time trying to get in your bathroom!"

Quatre's sisters laughed.

"You have no idea," one of them nodded.

"So Quatre," another one spoke. "Introduce us to your friend."

"Oh yes, sorry. This is Candace Reeves. Her father and I are doing some business together. They just moved here so I'm showing her around. Candace, these are my sisters Debbie, Diana, Shawna, Tammy, Natalie, Melissa, and Nicole."

Candy smiled and nodded. _How on Earth am I going to remember all those names!_

"So, are you guys doing some shopping here?" Diana asked.

"Kind of," Candy replied. "We're just looking around right now."

"Oh! You just have to come with us then!" Natalie exclaimed, grabbing Candy's hand. "There is the cutest lingerie shop on the next level! You'll love it!"

Quatre went pale when one of his sisters spoke the forbidden "L" word. And with eight girls he was sorely out numbered. Maybe he could get away with waiting for them at the food court while they shopped.

"Come on Quatre!" Nicole called as she grabbed his arm.

Quatre groaned. No such luck.

* * *

Heero strolled calmly down a well known path along the tree lined sidewalks. People bustled about around him while children played merrily. But Heero payed them little attention as he continued on with his hands in his pockets, his face set firm on the path which laid ahead of him. The sidewalk curved and Heero followed with it, letting it lead him into a grassy park with trees and a playground dotted with children and parents. These, too, did not earn any attention from Heero. The empty bench on the side of the path, however, did.

The dark haired young man sat down on the newly painted bench, only now taking the time to admire what was around him. He had to mentally force himself to loosen his shoulders and relax his body. After all this time it was still hard to realize he wan't being hunted any more--no one was out to get him.

Heero gazed up at the bright sky. Always clear and blue. Never cloudy, never unpredictable. Not like on Earth where the weather did as it pleased. He missed the Earth at times. The naturalness of it all, the unpredictability. The untamed countryside, the wild mountain ranges, the rugged arctics and the scalding deserts. Everything here was the same. Calm, quiet, and controlled.

In the sandbox nearby, a boy was bugging his younger sister and she started to cry. Heero regarded the noise with mild irritation at first. But then, it was as if something snapped inside of him. It was his nightmare all over again. Even during the light of mid day he was trapped in that same dark, tight spot. He couldn't breath, he could hardly move. It was the same vision that had continued to haunt him night after night. But this time there was something different.

A voice. He could here it coming from somewhere outside. Somewhere from beyond the thing that held him. It was crying. No, she was crying. Just like the little girl in the park. Only this voice was sadder. He could hear her out there crying for him, begging for his release. He reached out to her, clawing at his prison. The fear of his own situation was momentarily forgotten as he struggled to reach that voice, to break down the barrier that separated him. His hands pounded the walls in frustration as he heard outside forces slowly dragging the crying voice away. The little boy felt a pain inside as if something within him had been stripped away. And he cried.

Heero gasped as he was brought back to reality. He looked around at his surroundings, still overwhelmed over what had occurred. The mother of the two children was now soothing the little girl while she berated the boy for being so mean to his sister.

Heero shook his head. Were these visions really his own? In waking consciousness he could not recall the events his subconscious was groping for. He did not remember these things. Yet, something about them was so painfully familiar. The dull pang in his chest ached like that of an old wound reopened. Heero blinked and felt an odd wetness. He brushed his finger along the corner of his eye and produced something he was not too familiar with. A tear.

Rubbing his eyes roughly with his sleeve, Heero got up and walked hastily out of the park. His troubled mind was churning through all the bits of information he could drudge up as he probed his mind for the missing memories. No such luck. That door seemed to be shut and locked again. Inside, Heero's frustration was bubbling up and he just wanted to cry out so the whole world would know his inner turmoils. But he kept quiet as he raced back to his run down little apartment and threw himself on the couch.

He couldn't deal with this. Not now. These visions were distracting him. He couldn't afford to loose his focus, not when so much was at stake. Something bad for the future was coming and Heero needed all his wits and prowess to be ready for it. He couldn't afford to let these mind games his subconscious played on him to take over. With all his strength, Heero willed his mind to be clear and focused. He could not let this get the best of him. A battle was coming, the soldier had to be ready.

* * *

"Bye you guys. We'll see you back at the house Quatre," Melissa called as she waved.

Or was it Debbie that had waved? Candy had spent all day with seven of Quatre's sisters and she still was confused at who was who. All she knew was that they were all blonde and older than her. Nevertheless, she waved back as Quatre opened the door of his car for her.

"Be sure to be a gentleman Quatre, and walk Candy to her door," one of his sisters teased.

"And don't forget to kiss her!" called another.

Quatre's cheeks burned with a healthy blush as he got in the driver's side and started up the vehicle. Candy was still chuckling in amusement as his sisters' antics. Quatre gave her an annoyed look.

"You think this is funny, don't you?"

"I'm still trying to decided whether I should feel sorry for you," Candy laughed. "Your sisters crack me up Quatre. Are they all like that?"

"No, most of them are pretty calm and preserved actually. You just met the wildest of the bunch. They think it's their job in life to set me up with people--along with the rest of the galaxy."

"Yeah, you must really get that a lot. It must be frustrating," Candy said.

Quatre nodded. "It is at times. But what about you? As the daughter of a wealthy business man, you must get set up with a bunch of people, too."

Candy looked out the window at the darkening horizon. "Not as much as you might think."

"Really?" Quatre wondered. "I would imagine there are a lot of people who would want to go out with a beautiful girl like you--I mean--" Quatre blushed as Candy smiled at the comment.

"Well, if you knew our family you probably wouldn't want to get mixed up with us either," Candy confided.

"Huh? Why not?"

"You've seen how we are. We're all weirdos," Candy grinned.

"And everyone in my family is normal?" Quatre playfully shot back.

Candy laughed as the car came to a stop in front of her house. Mr. Reeves could be seen standing under the porch light with Killer at his feet.

"I guess you got me there," the redhead admitted. "I mean, who's to say what's normal anyways, right?"

"Right," Quatre agreed with a smile.

There was a small span of silence as the two looked into each others eyes and smiled softly. Candy was the first to look away.

"Oh look, there's Dad getting ready for his nightly walk." She turned back to Quatre. "Thanks for taking me into town. It was fun. And you were such a good sport today with your sisters and all." She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Don't worry about walking me up. I'll be staying out with Dad."

Quatre was too stunned to stop Candy even if he wanted to. She stepped out of the car herself and shut the door after her.

"Later Quatre," she called as she waved.

Quatre waved back and started out the driveway as if in a trance. Once down the road his hand slowly went up to his cheek where Candy's lips had touched him. He took a moment to reflect dreamily on the day. But as he neared his own estate he quickly gathered his senses. Checking the rear view mirror to make sure there were no marks of the kiss on his cheek, he forced himself into a more somber expression and got ready to face the hurricane of questions he'd have to face once inside the house.

* * *

A tall, shapely woman with sensual eyes and dazzling fire red hair pulled up and pinned tightly to her head walked into the darkened room. The white lab coat she wore hugged her feminine frame tightly. The only real light in the room was what spilled in from the open doorway, casting the woman's curved silhouette along the floor.

"Mr. Underwood," the woman called into the shadows. "Sorry to bother you, but there is a call for you. He says it's important."

From the dark recesses of the room, a figure moved. The light from the doorway was just enough for one to be able to make out the image of a person sitting in a chair with the back turned slightly towards the door. The figure spoke not a word but instantly went to the small computer screen laying on the desk in front of him and pressed the button. The image of an older man in military dress came instantly to the screen.

"Commander Grimaud," a deep calm voice said from the shadows.

The stout form of the Cinq Kingdom Commander looked calm, though a hint of worry and urgency plagued his features. He spoke with a hushed voice, continually glancing around him as he whispered.

"Mr. Underwood, I've got some bad news. That Peacecraft brat is getting wise to me. The other day she cornered me and started asking me all these questions about that military meeting last week."

The shadowed form of Mr. Underwood nodded. "Yes, I know. You brought her suspicions onto you by yourself when you spoke out so strongly against her own issues at that meeting."

Commander Grimaud was taken aback. "How did you--"

"I know," he replied, cutting him off with authority. "From now on I want you to lay low. Remember, you're supposed to be on the side of the Cinq Kingdom. From now on I want you to agree with the Peacecraft proposals until I tell you otherwise. There's no need to raise any more suspicions than you already have."

Commander Grimaud nodded, but something else was still gnawing on his feeble little mind.

"Mr. Underwood, there's also something else. I thought Relena Peacecraft would be the only one to fight out strongly against these war issues. But there's another man, too. A delegate from North America, Jason Dawes. This guy is starting to stir things up and everyone is beginning to follow him. We may need to shut him up before his influence gets too powerful."

The figure known as Mr. Underwood waved it off by turning his chair around from the screen.

"Do not be too hasty Commander. To react prematurely could mean disaster for us. Just continue your job in the Cinq Kingdom until I tell you different."

Commander Grimaud nodded as a dark finger flicked his face off the screen with the push of a button.

"Idiot," Mr. Underwood muttered. "Dr Karren."

"Yes sir," the tall woman stepped forward as the large chair swiveled towards her.

"Contact all the chief engineers of our...special projects. Tell them to increase production. These new developments may force us to proceed in our plans ahead of schedule."

"Yes Mr. Underwood," Dr. Karren turned briskly on her heel and left the room, shutting the door behind her and once again plunging the room into near total darkness.


	5. Chapter 5: Gathering Storms

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Five: Gathering Storms

She was alone, standing by herself in a world of nothing but dark mist. There did not appear to be anything tangible anywhere as far as she could see. Even the ground beneath her seemed to be nothing but a gloomy haze as she remained floating in a world without substance.

_Where am I?_ her mind wondered. _I'm lost._

Of all the things to say. Yes, she was lost, in so many ways.

A figure appeared out of the mist. A tall, handsome man with piercing blue eyes, dressed sharply in a military uniform. He stood with regal confidence and looked down on her as if he knew everything there ever was to know.

"Who are you?" she asked the stranger.

"I have your answers," the man said, ignoring her question.

He swept his hand grandly over the foggy atmosphere about him. She spun around in awe as the world around her took shape. The mist hardened into dark concrete. Shadowed buildings materialized in front of a black horizon. She gazed around at the dark scene before turning to the stranger for answers. But he had vanished and she was all alone in an empty, black city.

_I will show you the way..._

She jumped as his voice echoed through her senses.

_Come...follow me..._

Cautiously, she followed the sound of the voice down a dark alleyway. Once there she found a pile of scrap heaped against one of the buildings. She felt impressed to move it. Tossing a few smaller parts away, she picked up the large door sized board at the bottom of the pile and lifted it. Below was a hidden staircase of about five steps leading to a door in the side of the building.

_Go on,_ the stranger's voice urged gently. _I will show you what you need to know..._

She slowly descended the stairs one at a time. Her foot left the last step and she stared undecidedly at the door.

_Open it..._

Taking a deep breath, she reached out for the doorknob and slowly turned it.

* * *

"AH!"

Felicia's eyes instantly popped open and she sat up in bed. She rubbed them as the visions of her dream no longer felt like reality. She stayed there for a moment as her mind recapped what she had experienced and tried to interpret its meaning.

What a strange dream. She had been having the same one every night since she had suddenly gotten her old memories back. Of course, no one, not even Sally was aware Felicia now knew who she was and why she was here. And she couldn't tell her. Sally had been far too nice to her, she couldn't risk getting her involved.

Felicia sighed and dangled her feet over the edge of the bed. So many memories. So many things she wished she could have left forgotten. Yet, she had promises to fulfill which she couldn't just ignore. And what of this man who kept coming to her in her dreams? He was not part of her past--in fact, she had never seen him before in her life. What did he want? He said he had answers. Answers to what? Every time she had reached the door he called her to she had woken up. What was behind it? Would she ever find out?

"Felicia," Sally called as she poked her head in. "Oh good, you're already awake. I thought since your leg is doing so much better that you'd like to come down to the base with me."

Felicia raised an eyebrow at her. She was no dummy. That was a nice way of saying "I'm bringing you in for questioning". But she agreed, despite the fact. She would have to play dumb in front of these Preventers until she figured out where she was supposed to go from here.

The dark headed young girl walked behind the taller Sally Po as they paraded into the Preventers base. They continued past security and on through other rooms lined with desks and tables and Preventer officers. Sally noticed with a hint of a smile that their journey seemed to be catching a lot of the officer's attention that should be working. Sally herself was quite an attractive woman. She understood what was happening when heads turned while she walked by. But this time, it seemed more heads than usual were stopping to take notice.

Felicia seemed to notice it, too. She did not respond with the same amusement as Sally did.

"What's everyone's problem? Why do they keep looking this way?" Felicia whispered to the major.

"I think they like you," Sally whispered back with a smile.

Felicia scrunched up her nose. "Why?"

"Well, because you're an attractive young girl. You're lucky. I bet a few of those handsome guys wouldn't mind going out with you."

Felicia was not amused by Sally's good humor.

"Yeah, well if they try anything I'll make sure they wished they hadn't."

Sally raised a worried brow at her companion as they entered down a quieter, empty hall.

"Felicia, are you okay? You've been kind of uptight these past few days. Are you feeling alright? Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Felicia knew what Sally was probing for. She noticed the change in her attitude and now she was wondering if it had anything to do with the regaining of certain memories. But Felicia wasn't about to fall into that trap. Time to play dumb.

"Well you'd be uptight too if you didn't know where the hell you came from or what the hell you're doing here!" Felicia automatically shot back. "It doesn't just only make me uptight it also pisses me off!"

Felicia blanched on the inside. Damn her stupid temper. Well, so much for playing dumb. But playing mad works, too.

Sally, taken aback at her outburst, decided that maybe now wasn't the time to prod her with any more questions. They proceeded to Sally's office without further conversation. She opened the door and was not a bit surprised to see the figure leaning against her desk as she had seen him waiting there many times before.

"You are late," Wufei stated.

"And you," Sally replied as she walked briskly into the room. "Are on my desk. And I just had it...polished."

She emphasized the last word by lightly slapping Wufei's hand away from her stuff.

"You trifle over such material things too much woman," Wufei was quick to retort. He turned to see Felicia and glared.

"What is this woman doing here? She should not be at this base."

Sally shrugged. "What's wrong with bringing her here? Felicia's been stuck in that house for so long I'd thought I'd give her a break and let her come with me."

Felicia and Wufei shot each other looks. Both were expressing the same disbelief and the knowledge that Sally had an alternate agenda to what she said.

"Well just keep an eye on her. You never know what kind of thieving trickery this female is capable of."

Felicia instantly bristled at the comment. "And what is that supposed to mean?" she demanded to his face. Wufei was only about an inch or two taller so it wasn't hard.

The dark eyed pilot merely glared her down.

"Do not push me, woman," he threatened.

"Woman! Woman!" Felicia repeated. "Why do you keep saying that? Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds? Makes you sound like you're not smart enough to remember our names. What's the matter with you?"

Wufei responded to her outburst with calm confidence. "You are a woman, are you not? There is nothing wrong with calling you what you are."

"Well, then I think I'll call you a conceited, chauvinistic, hateful-ass jerk! Because that's what you are!"

Completely surprised and outraged, Wufei opened his mouth, but nothing would come out. He stood there, shaking a little as his mind fumbled for some kind of come back. In the background, Sally was enjoying the situation far too much and was doing her best not to bust out laughing. Wufei finally managed to calm himself and wagged an index finger in front of Felicia's nose before his mouth found some words.

"You," he finally stated. "I do not like."

And with that, he turned on his heel and marched stiffly out the door.

Sally was still trying to control her laughter as Felicia took a seat across from her.

"Man, what is with that guy Sally? What makes him think he's so high and mighty like that?"

Sally managed to compose herself and replied with somewhat seriousness. "That's just the way he is. He comes from a proud heritage. Wufei was raised with old fashioned thinking and he sticks stubbornly to those ideals."

Felicia narrowed her eyes at the place where Wufei had exited. "I bet he wouldn't be so arrogant if I went up and kicked his ass."

Sally tried to fight back the large grin tugging at the sides of her mouth. "I don't know about that Felicia. Wufei's an excellent fighter. In a way, I think he's earned the right to be so confident of himself."

"Good," Felicia retorted. She got up and started wandering impatiently around the room. "I'd hate for our match to end too soon. No satisfaction in that."

"I wonder what Wufei would have to say about that," Sally thought to herself out loud.

"Well, if he tries any more of that "woman" shit on me we're going to find out," Felicia stated and she was about to walk out of Sally's office when someone decided to come in at the same time and the two bodies collided.

"Woman, you are fast becoming a constant pain in my ass," Wufei informed her as he pushed her away from him.

Felicia growled as she was shoved aside. "Do you have down syndrome or something? You just left through this door, you idiot."

Wufei returned her childish insults with a cold gaze before approaching Sally. "Commander Une is waiting on the vid screen to speak with you," he stated.

"Thank you Wufei, I'll be there in a minute," Sally received gracefully.

Wufei nodded and turned to leave. Felicia was flashing him a death glare that could have rivaled even Heero's as he passed by. Wufei tried to pretend he didn't see it.

"Stupid women," he muttered. "Can't control their hormones during all times of the month and I have to put up with the injustice of it all."

Wufei had meant for the comment to only be heard by his own ears. But by the way Felicia's eyes grew to twice their size it was obvious she had heard, too.

"Ooh, that's it," Felicia growled. "He's dead."

"Felicia!" Sally called as she dashed out the door.

Wufei didn't even know what hit him as Felicia pounced on his back and drug him savagely through the nearest open door. Sally raced after them but she proved to be a few seconds too slow as the door slammed and locked in her face. From behind the closed door the voices were slightly muffled but still quite loud as the two inhabitants started a shouting match.

"Have you gone insane!" Sally could hear Wufei's voice screech. "What kind of psychopath are you?"

"Look here you uptight little jerk wad," Felicia called next. "I don't know who it was that shoved that broom stick up your ass but I think I've put up with enough of your crap as it is. Apologize right now or I'll teach you some real manners the most painful way possible!"

"Ha! You don't scare me woman! Your threats are nothing to me! You are far too weak for me to even waist my time with you!"

"I'll show you weak!"

Sally gasped as the sound of a fist making solid contact was heard from behind the door.

"WOMAN! I'LL KILL YOU!"

The Peventers Major instantly started pounding on the door. "Hey you two, open this door right now! That's an order!"

"Keep out of this!" Wufei barked. "This onna needs to be shown her place! There will be justice!"

Sally put her hands on her hips. Maybe it was a good idea for them to duke it out. That way all their energy would be spent on each other and she wouldn't have to put up with either for a while.

"How much time do you guys want?" Sally called.

There was the sound of something being tossed across the room followed by a round of colorful expletives by both parties.

"Just wait until it's quiet!" Felicia called back amidst the sound of struggling. "That will mean that one of us is DEAD!"

"It will be YOU, devil woman!" Wufei snarled.

"WAHH! YOU KICKED MY BURN YOU DIRTY BASTARD!"

The sound of something heavy hitting the door caused Sally to take a step back. The shouting and the thrashing was getting louder now as a full fledged battle ensued behind the closed door. The percipients seemed to be fighting with whatever they could get their hands on and there were continuous sounds of solid objects bouncing off walls--not to mention fleshy bodies. And the sounds of battle were topped off with all kinds of cursings and insults ever created by thought.

Sally stared at the closed door for a moment longer before shaking her head and continuing down the hall. Already she could imagine the kind of damage that would be inflicted on the room and whatever else was inside it. And Sally planned on making both of them clean up their mess when they were finished--not to mention paying for all the damages as well. It would serve them right and maybe prevent future confrontations as well. As Sally continued off to the main room to talk with Commander Une, she mentally made a note to herself to also get a medical team together when she was done. She had a feeling those two were going to need it.

* * *

Almost three hours later and Sally passed the locked door for the tenth time. She was surprised that she was still hearing sounds of a fight behind it. Fortunately, the yelling and screaming had died off a while ago. Also, the sounds of the battle itself were getting weaker and further apart as those on the other side were beginning to tire.

Finally, there were no sounds at all. Sally waited with her ear pressed to the door for several minutes, but heard nothing. Feeling a slight twinge of worry run through her, she carefully picked the lock and soundlessly eased the door open a crack. She was not at all surprised to see the room in entire shambles. The walls were peppered with holes and some, quite curiously, were on the ceiling as well. Whatever kind of furniture used to dwell here was now reduced to splinters with their pieces scattered all over. In the midst of all the carnage lay two bodies, still very much alive but also very tried from their ordeal and both were panting heavily.

Felicia lay the farthest away on her back. Her chest heaved from her labored breathing and was the only part of her that seemed to be moving. Her cheek looked bruised as she stared at the ceiling. The hem of her shirt was torn and a bit of blood decorated her right side.

"Had..." she paused to swallow between gasps. "Enough?"

Wufei, who was just as bruised and battered, lay on his stomach about five feet away from his female adversary. He looked just as tired as she did and a small trickle of blood dripped from his nose.

"You pant are the one pant, pant who is weaker than I. You are the one cough who is no match for gasp my skills."

"Whatever! You're so called skills gasp are fading just like pant, pant your hairline!"

"That's it woman!" Wufei suddenly lifted his head in outrage, though the rest of his tired body stayed motionless. "I will take this table leg and shove the blunt end through your demon heart!" He reached vainly for the said table leg which was a mere inch from his finger tips. But try as he might, his battered body refused to move one centimeter more.

"Oh yeah! I'd like to see you try it!"

Felicia managed to pick herself up on her hands and knees and half crawled, half dragged herself over to the prone pilot.

"Come on, let's see what you got. Get up here and show me."

Felicia grabbed Wufei's arm, giving it a weak tug. Wufei latched onto her arm as well as each used the other to pull themselves up into kneeling positions. Once there, each paused again to pant some more and somehow get a second wind to continue their battle. But it never came.

Every muscle in Felicia's body ached. She could almost feel the last of her energy draining out of her and she thought her heart would never go down to its usual pace again. Right next to her Wufei appeared to be no better. He leaned his hands heavily on his knees and rolled back and forth slightly with each labored breath. But from somewhere in the back of the Chinese pilot's throat came a deep rumble. Felicia looked at him curiously as the sound grew louder and more distinguished.

Sally looked at the scene in surprise. That noise Wufei was making, she had never heard it before. Could it be? Yes. It was--laughter. Wufei was laughing. A deep, healthy, heartfelt laugh. Not the scornful, sarcastic chuckle he had always used on the others. This time it was real. This time it was sincere; and as Felicia suddenly joined in with her own laugh Sally thought she had never heard a more beautiful sound.

It didn't last long, however. A few seconds of good laughter brought both teens falling over and gasping for air once more. They continued to lay there, clutching their sides as their laughter subsided. Eventually their breathing returned to normal and both of them fell asleep next to each other among the chaos they had caused.

Sally couldn't help but smile to herself as she closed the door again. Who would have thought it would have taken all of that to get Wufei to open up. Perhaps in her heart, Sally realized she never could have gotten to Wufei like that on her own. She had tried so hard to be kind to him, to show him that life and love and beauty were all worth while and could be given a place in his heart. Only now she was beginning to realize that maybe she had been using the wrong method in trying to get through to him. Perhaps Felicia was right, a good kick in the pants was what Wufei needed even more than kindness and patience. And maybe, Sally decided, just maybe some battles are needed to be fought.

* * *

The weather was good on L2 Colony. Of course, it was always good, Hilde Shbeiker noticed. That was because those who controlled the weather always made sure that it was good on L2 and Hilde liked the job that they did. The thin young woman casually brushed her dark bangs out of her eyes as she stepped into the grocery store.

Hilde grabbed herself a shopping cart and started to mentally go through all her cupboards at home in order to remember the things she needed. She strolled through the isles as she went over her mental list.

_Hmm..lets see... milk, bread, apples, pancake mix...Oh! Chewy Chips Ahoy! Gotta have some of those!_

She plopped the bag of cookies into the cart.

"Now what else?" she said out loud as she leaned on the cart's handle bars and tried to go back over her list. "Oh, I wish I would have written these things down!"

"Hilde?" a familiar voice asked.

Hilde stood ramrod straight as the owner of the voice approached.

_Please don't let it be him, oh please don't let it be him..._ she prayed. _Please don't let it be--_

"Hilde, it is you," Trowa said as he came up behind her. _Crap._

"Trowa," Hilde smiled weakly. "Hi. What--what are you doing here?"

"Catherine needed some things from the store and I ended up with the shortest straw--so to speak."

Hilde wasn't really listening. All she could see was her slamming the door in Trowa's face over and over again. How could he still want to talk to her after that?

"I'm glad I was able to run into you again," Trowa added.

Hilde laughed nervously. "Yeah well, you know..."

_Come on Hilde! You can do better than that! But what do I say? Duh, sorry I was such an idiot the other day. I'm really not that stupid most of the time, huh huh. Doh! Get it together Hilde!_

The voices arguing in her head were interrupted as Trowa glanced at the cookies in her cart.

"It's nice to know you're eating well."

Hilde looked at her cookies and laughed. "Looks like Duo's bad eating habits rubbed off on me. Don't worry, I'm buying other things, too."

Trowa smiled slightly. "In that case, I'll follow you around and maybe you can tell me where to find some of these things."

He held up a list scribbled in Catherine's handwriting. Hilde chuckled, noticing most of the items on the list were in obvious places.

"You don't go shopping much, do you?"

Trowa shook his head.

"Well come on then," Hilde sighed. "I guess we'll go shopping together."

_Of all the stores in the entire colony..._ Hilde's mind grumbled. _Someone up there either loves me or hates me. I wish I knew which._

But just like her other encounters with Trowa previously that week, she actually ended up enjoying herself. It wasn't long before her horrible faux pas was forgotten and her current conversation with Trowa was the only thing on her mind. Well, she wasn't sure if it could be called a conversation exactly. Last time Hilde checked it required two people to do one of those. Mainly she talked and Trowa listened.

By this, Hilde discovered that maybe he didn't need to talk. When she looked at him she could tell that he really was paying attention to her and just not nodding to be courteous. To her, that was worth more than any shallow, half noticed conversation she could have had with someone else. Simply put, she enjoyed Trowa's company. He didn't have to say anything for her to feel comfortable around him. Just his mere presence radiated a calm, pacifying aura that Hilde had never experienced around another male before. She liked it.

By the time they had reached the register Hilde had Trowa's list in her hand and was carefully going over all the items in her cart, making sure it contained everything both of them needed. Hilde started unloading her things on the counter first and each payed for their groceries separately.

The two walked side by side out of the grocery store and into the bright light of the outdoors--which was quickly replaced as fat water droplets poured heavily from the so called colony sky.

"Great," Hilde groaned. "I saw on the news this morning they were going to make it rain today. I can't believe I forgot! Oh, I'm such an idiot!"

Trowa, who hadn't even had a chance to see the colonies weather report, only shrugged.

Of course, it wasn't real rain that was pouring down on them. There wasn't a cloud above them, stormy or otherwise. Of all the modern man-made wonders produced over the centuries, not even humanity's brightest scientists were able to come up with a way to produce weather of their own on the colonies. So until then, they tried their best by simulating at least one kind of weather--rain. It was really water pumped through tubes in the colony sky light and, of course, the time of a rain shower was always planned for those who wanted to avoid it. But even if the weather was fake, the colony citizens accepted it. It somehow made them feel more connected with their ancestors' home planet Earth--even if most of the residents hadn't even set foot on the planet their entire lives. And if that wasn't enough, the rain also proved to be a fast, easy way to water all the plants growing on the colony as well.

"Come on," Hilde called. "We've got to get out of this stuff before we get soaked." She took off at a brisk jog down the sidewalk with Trowa following close behind. "My place isn't far from here. Maybe we can get there before we get too wet."

But as they continued on it became very apparent that they weren't going to make it to Hilde's apartment before they and their groceries would be drenched clear through from the heavy sheets of rain.

"This way," Trowa suddenly said as he tugged Hilde's arm in another direction.

Hilde followed his lead under a thick oak tree whose leaves provided them some measure of shelter from the water.

"Here," Trowa handed Hilde his bag of groceries.

Before she could ask what he was doing, Trowa took off his jacket and held it over both their heads like a small umbrella. He had to move close to Hilde so they both would fit under it. The dark haired girl could feel the blush rising to her cheeks as her shoulder lightly grazed his chest. She could smell him now. A damp, musky scent caused by the rain mixed in with the aroma of wild animals and sawdust that was a smell unique to only him.

Hilde breathed in deep. How she could easily get lost in that scent. They were all alone on a deserted corner. All the smart people had retreated into their homes long ago, leaving Hilde and Trowa standing beneath the large tree unnoticed. Hilde closed her eyes and smiled at the romance of it all. Just like in the story books.

She could just imagine herself in a beautiful dress instead of her frumpy old house clothes; the rain causing the material to stick to the curves of her body as water droplets ran down her face and neck. The grocery bags had long since disappeared from her arms as Hilde envisioned Trowa leaning against her. He put his arms around her and pulled her close--their wet bodies pressing together, hungering for physical contact. Hilde nuzzled the smooth skin on his neck as he ran his fingers through her drenched hair. He lifted her face to meet his and her heart quickened as he stared into her soul with his piercing green eyes. His breath beat on her lips as his face came closer and he rasped out those words she had been longing to hear him say...

"The rain is starting to slow now."

Hilde was kicked out of her fantasy as Trowa moved away and replaced the jacket around his shoulders. Hilde could feel the color moving up to her face again as Trowa reached for his damp grocery bag.

_You've been reading far too many trashy romance novels, Hilde girl. Get a grip on yourself. _

Hilde let out a quiet sigh as she shifted her own bag of groceries in her arms.

"Come on," Trowa said quietly. "I think we'll be okay now. I'll walk you home."

Hilde nodded quietly as they started off down the sidewalk. Neither said a word as they neared her apartment. Hilde was too busy trying to keep her earlier fantasy from resurfacing. Now was not the time to dream, but to focus. She could always day dream later. But while she was around Trowa, Hilde was determined not to make a bigger fool of herself than she already had.

By this time, whoever decided the rain should start letting up had changed their mind and water was once again pouring freely from the artificial sky.

"Can't those guys make up their minds?" Hilde grumbled as they both raced to her apartment.

They clamored up the steps and Hilde fumbled for a moment with her keys until the door swung open. Both of them raced inside, slamming the door shut behind them. But it was already two late, the two were soaked through.

"Well, that was fun," Hilde commented as she flicked off her sopping wet shoes by the doorway. Her socks were the next to come off and she held them in one hand while balancing the equally wet paper grocery bag in the other.

"Come on in Trowa," Hilde invited as she started for the kitchen. "You're certainly welcome to stay here until it stops raining."

Trowa followed her example by removing his shoes and socks and following her into the kitchen. Hilde had set her bag on the counter and Trowa placed his next to it. Trowa remained motionless after that, waiting for Hilde to make the first move. She, in return, placed her hand on her hips as she looked the drenched young man over. His wet clothes clung pitifully to his body and his usually stiff bangs hung limply over his face, dripping water on the linoleum.

"Look at you, you're totally soaked through. Hold on and I'll get you some towels."

She dashed down the hall and started to go through the closet.

"Here you go," she called as she tossed some towels into Trowa's waiting arms. "If you don't mind, I'm going to change real quick."

"No problem," Trowa replied.

Hilde tossed him a smile before she dashed into her room and closed the door. She quickly replaced her wet things with warm dry ones. She rubbed at her wet hair with a small towel before exiting the room. Hilde padded softly down the hall in her bare feet and froze in her steps when she reached the kitchen.

Trowa stood by the table, his jacket and shirt draped over one of the chairs. He was still in his tight, wet pants but his chest was bare. He had one towel draped around his neck while he rubbed at his damp hair with another. Hilde was too slow to stop the small squeak from emitting out of her mouth when she saw him.

Trowa heard the tiny sound and looked up to see Hilde standing with her hands cupped over her face. She quickly removed them and tried to act natural.

"Umm...here, let me shove these things into the dryer for you," Hilde volunteered. She whisked past Trowa, snagging up his discarded clothes before he could say a word.

She quickly retreated into the small laundry room adjacent to the kitchen. Once in there Hilde allowed herself to take a breath. She shoved the wet clothes into the dryer and turned it on. As the machine rumbled to life, Hilde allowed herself a moment to entertain the mental picture of a wet, shirtless Trowa that still danced in her head. She could still recall his rippling muscles, sleek and hard beneath his skin. And his tight, flat stomach--how she wanted to touch it and feel his body quiver beneath her fingertips. Of all the erotic fantasies Hilde wove in her free time, nothing came close to how her recent experience had affected her.

_I can't believe it! The most perfect, well built, gorgeous guy wet and shirtless in my house!_ Hilde's mind raved. _Oh! He's so hot! I can't believe how much I lucked out! I wonder how long he'll want to stay. I hope forever! I wonder if I can get him to give me his pants to put in the dryer, too..._ Hilde put her dirty little mind on pause as she caught a glance of herself in the mirror on the wall. In front of her stood a pitiful looking girl. Pale face with disheveled hair sticking up however it pleased and an extremely old and stained T-shirt covering up her thin, shapeless frame.

_That's right, Hilde Shbeiker: plain, ordinary, and average. Stop kidding yourself, you know it's not going to happen. You're only setting yourself of for disappointment. You've been living alone for far too long girl, it's messing with your mind._ She dropped her forehead dejectedly on top of the vibrating dryer. _Hilde, you're so pathetic._

"Hilde?"

Hilde let out a small cry of surprise and jumped instantly at attention, her face once again flushed.

"I'm sorry, did I startle you?" Trowa asked softly. He had a towel now draped over his shoulders which covered them only slightly.

"Umm, no not really--I mean, yeah, kind of a little," Hilde fumbled. She hurried to change the subject to risk further embarrassment. "I'm sorry I don't have any clothes to offer you. I doubt anything I have would fit."

Trowa shrugged. "It's fine."

He moved to head back into the kitchen again. Hilde's face faltered into a pleading expression the instant he turned his back.

_Oh, why can't he just put something on and put me out of my misery?_

She gave one last pathetic glance to the girl in the mirror before following after Trowa back into the kitchen. Trowa had already taken a seat at the table and his back was now facing her as she slipped behind the counter.

"Trowa, would you like some hot chocolate while we're waiting?"

"Yes, that would be nice," Trowa replied to the empty table. He did not bother to turn around and look at her when he spoke.

Hilde merely nodded as she set about getting out mugs and chocolate while she heated some water. As she worked she mused over Trowa's reply. Not so much as what he said but how he said it. Hilde began to notice that anything Trowa said was always given in the same fashion. He always took an extra moment to reply to anything he was asked; as if going over each word carefully before speaking, afraid of giving anything away.

Afraid? Hilde had trouble picturing this stoic young man being scared of anything. And yet, it became more and more apparent to her that Trowa was a master of hiding. Physically he proved that by always seeking refuge behind that hair of his, dipping his head to hide his feature from her whenever she asked him a question.

Then there was his emotions--or lack thereof. He was so careful not to show any sign of what he felt; be it happy or sad or anger or fear. Did he feel he was protecting himself by hiding his emotions? And if so, protecting himself from what? What was he afraid of? Hilde couldn't even imagine what it would do to her if she trapped everything she felt inside her like that.

The lith young woman paused to look at Trowa; or at least the back of the head. He continued to sit straight and still, staring without movement at the plain white wall in his field of vision. Hilde squinted at him as she suddenly felt sorry for the young man.

_Why do you do it Trowa? What are you working so hard to avoid? As much as you'd like everyone to believe otherwise, I know you feel. Deep down inside you feel like me. You have emotions and pains and worries just like everyone else. If only you could know what a relief it is to let it out and live. Maybe in time I could help you see that..._

Hilde finished in the kitchen and walked over to the table, placing a steaming mug in front of Trowa and then taking a seat across from him. The tall young man thanked her quietly and took a few careful sips from his cup. Hilde sat quietly, absorbed in her own thoughts as she drank her chocolate.

"Hilde, do you remember Quatre?"

Hilde was thrown off balance from the question. It always caught her off guard when Trowa suddenly asked her a question like that.

"Quatre Winner? Yeah. I mean, I never really knew him well but I know who he is."

Trowa nodded. "I am going to visit him for his birthday next week and I have an extra ticket."

Hilde almost choked on her drink. "Are--are you asking me to go with you?"

Trowa gave a slight nod, his hair covering his face like a curtain.

"But, wouldn't you want Catherine to go with you instead? I mean, she is your sister. Wouldn't she mind being left behind?"

Trowa paused longer than normal before replying. Hilde began to wonder just what kind of answer he was searching for.

"Catherine does not like to travel outside the circus and I think Quatre would enjoy seeing you again."

Hilde tried hard to quell the grand smile threatening to cover her face as she thought the proposition over. _Best not to sound too eager or he might regret asking me._

"Uh, sure, I think I'll be able to do it."

"Good."

The buzzer from the clothes dryer sounded from the next room and Trowa got up of his own initiative and went to fetch his clothes. Hilde got up and went back into the kitchen. She pulled out a plastic bag and replaced all of Trowa's groceries out of the wet paper bag they were in. Trowa came back in a minute later with his shirt on and his jacket draped over one arm.

"Looks like the rain has stopped now," Trowa observed as he looked out the window. "I should be on my way before Catherine comes looking for me."

Hilde nodded as she handed him the plastic bag of groceries.

"Well, thanks for spending a rainy afternoon with me all the same."

A shadow of a smile crossed Trowa's face as he took the bag and headed for the door. He then proceeded to slip on his shoes, shoving his damp socks into his jacket pocket. "We'll be leaving on the shuttle Tuesday. I'll come back tomorrow to give you the details."

Hilde smiled as Trowa stepped out of the house. "I can't wait. See you then."

Trowa paused to give her a small wave before proceeding on his way. Hilde closed the door and let out a deep sigh as she leaned against it. A dreamy smile covered her features. She was going to go on a trip -alone- with Trowa.

_I don't know why, but someone up there loves me._

* * *

The remaining workers watched as the last of the supplies were loaded onto the shuttle and jettisoned off to the next colony. A large, stout man in his late thirties rubbed his palms together as a sign that the work was done.

"Well, there's another job finished, eh Roy?"

A taller lanky man of about the same age nodded to his head. "Yup. Now all we have to do is figure out what job to start looking for next."

"I heard there was a major construction project going down a few colonies over. Plenty of work opportunities there. What's say? You up for it?"

"Sure thing Earl," Roy nodded.

"How about you kid, ya wanna tag along?" Earl turned towards the darkly dressed form sitting on the crates behind them. The viser of his dark blue cap hid his face and a long, brown braid snaked out behind him.

"No thanks guys. I'm not coming along this time."

"Why not Duo?" the taller man, Roy, asked. "I bet they pay good money for these jobs we're heading to."

"Sorry guys, I've got somewhere else to be," Duo said as he grabbed the large bag at his side and hopped off the crates.

"Oh, and where's that?" Earl asked.

"Going to go look up some old friends of mine," Duo glanced at his watch. "My shuttle leaves in a few minutes. It was great working with you guys, maybe I'll see you again sometime."

"You too Duo," Roy said as they shook hands.

"Yeah, good luck kid," Earl added and they waved as the lanky teen strolled off with his possessions, braid swishing behind him.

Duo boarded his flight and sad down, setting his bag beside him. He calmly watched out the window as the shuttle took off, breaking out into the bleakness of outer space and leaving the colony far behind. He gazed quietly at the vastness of the galaxy. It was so big, so dark, so lonely.

_Do you ever feel lonely when you look up at the sky Heero?_ Duo thought to himself. _Compared to the vastness of space we are so insignificant. Maybe that's why you chose space to hide in. Something so small as yourself could never be noticed among all this._

Duo sighed as he remembered the conversation he had with a certain young woman a few weeks ago.

_"Do you know how Heero's been doing?"_

Relena's face had been so full of hope when she asked that. She seemed to be pleading with him that he knew something--anything--about Heero's current state. Duo could sense the forlornness in her voice. All she wanted from him was the assurance that where ever Heero was, he was okay. It nearly broke Duo's heart when he couldn't give her even that. He couldn't stand to see anyone he cared for so lonely. Duo already knew far too well how it felt.

But next time, Duo promised himself, next time they met things would be different. Duo vowed silently that he would never have to see that sad, lost look on Relena Peacecraft's face ever again. The braided pilot had given himself a new mission: to find Heero Yuy-- where ever he happened to be.

_I don't care how big space is,_ Duo mused as he looked out the window. _Or how well you've hidden yourself or how much you think you've been forgotten. I'm going to find you, Heero buddy. I'm not giving up until I do, either. So you just better be ready, Shinigami's coming..._

* * *

The large moon shined bright as ever over the colonies the same as it always did but Heero, for one, did not appreciate her gentle glow. The moon was just too close and too bright for his comfort as he skulked along the shadowed roof of a large, metal building. The place looked quiet and appeared to be unguarded. But Heero knew that these looks were meant to be deceiving. Hidden from the naked, inexperienced eye were high tech surveillance systems, cameras, alarms, and sensors. Heero, of course, avoided them all with ease and was now about to infiltrate the building itself.

This was what had brought him to this colony. As far as he could tell it was a secret, yet small organization that hid their true agenda under the guise of being a computer hardware manufacturing plant. They had first caught Heero's attention when the ex Gundam pilot noticed they had been receiving quite a large amount of certain types of alloys and metals--not necessarily needed for making computer equipment. But which could possibly be used to manufacture more threatening types of gadgets.

For the past several months Heero had been keeping a close eye on this false factory. On his first infiltration mission into the place he had discovered a secret sub basement below the building. The young man was hardly shocked to find the processing of mobile dolls down below. But to his confusion, all they did was continue to make them. He heard the men talking of no plans to use them or of making shipping arrangements to send the armory else where. It was an army for a war that didn't exist--yet. Heero decided he was just going to lay low and watch until he could figure out for what reason all these weapons were being built.

In the meantime, Heero kept himself busy by subtly slowing down the production. Sabotaging a machine here, tweaking a computer there. It gave the young man strange delight to watch the engineers rant and rave about all the problems they had been having with their equipment.

Heero crept like a cat through the shadows the moon provided. He snuck up to a closed grate over a ventilation shaft and stealthily removed it. But after staring down the small, dark tunnel Heero uncharacteristically held back. His heart reflexively started to beat faster as he stared down the shaft. It was so small, so tight. Heero quickly shook himself, remembering grimly how much easier it was to do this sort of thing when he was younger. Taking a deep breath, Heero squeezed his broad shoulders into the vent and the rest of him followed.

The young man breathed out slowly as he started to inchworm his way inside. It was a tight fit but he had already done this a few times before. He could make it. It was only a few more feet before the tunnel led him inside the factory and he could be rid of the tight confines around him.

Almost there. Heero could see the light filtering in from the closed grate at the other end. Closer he inched towards his freedom where he could finally be rid of the tight tunnel surrounding him. Heero was so eager to burst from the ventilation shaft that he completely forgot to check if the cost was clear for his exit. He reached the closed grate and was ready to shove it open when a voice caught his ear.

Heero instantly froze--no breath, no movement. The voice continued on very casually and another voice replied in mild conversation. If Heero had had room he would have hit himself. Directly below his exit stood two men who would have instantly caused some problems to the mission if Heero had just jumped out head first. He could not believe he had been that careless. What an idiot he was! He was getting rusty, that's what was happening. Too long off the mission field made his senses dull and his mind unfocused. And he had let his stupid childhood fear get the best of him. What was happening to him? He would have to clean up his act fast or he would have to leave the mission to someone else. And that was one thing Heero Yuy was not too keen on doing.

As Heero finished berating himself he peeked out through the small slits in the grate to the two men below. Both were talking and leaning casually against the catwalk railing directly beneath him. Neither one of them looked like they were going to leave any time soon. Great. With no hope of ever being able to shimmy backwards the way he had come, Heero had to wait. The expression on his face looked less than pleased as he let out an inaudible sigh and soundlessly folded his arms beneath him so he would be more comfortable while he waited.

At first, Heero listened intently to the two men's conversation in hopes of picking up any useful information. But as they insisted on complaining to each other about their wives and money problems Heero quickly became bored. His eyes slowly wandered around his temporary steel prison as his thoughts strayed far beyond that of the factory he was trapped in. His mind meandered this way and that until it settled on the one thing it did often during these past few days.

Heero remembered clearer now. Through patience and gentle prodding he had been able to dig up more of these strange memories he never knew he had. Such as the crying voice from his nightmarish visions. He was able to put a face to it now--sort of. He vaguely recalled a young girl, about his age, who had been momentarily stationed at the same place as he when he was training with Dr. J to be a gundam pilot.

Most of the details were still very vague to him. He couldn't remember what she looked like or the color of her hair. He didn't know how she got there or what purpose she served. One thing he did remember, however, was her voice. It was quiet and not as high pitched as most little girls' voices went. It was never teasing or judgmental but it always seemed to be asking. As Heero searched his mind further, little snippets of long ago conversations would come back to him.

_"Why do you always look like that?" _

_Heero regarded the curious question without emotion. "Like what?" _

_"Like you're dead. Like you don't feel anything." _

_"Showing emotion is dangerous. You cannot let the enemy know how you feel, that might give them the advantage." _

_"Then where will your emotions go if you won't let them out? You won't be able to hold them inside you forever. They'll find a way to get out. You'll see." _

_He hadn't made any kind of response to that comment. _

_"Why do you always go with Dr. J?" the girl had asked again. "He isn't very nice to you. He doesn't look right. He scares me." _

_"Nothing scares me," Heero replied automatically. _

_"Not even death?" _

_"No." _

_"You aren't going to live very long then." _

_"Why is that?" _

_"People try to avoid what scares them. If you face a life threatening situation and are not afraid of death you won't try to avoid it. So you will die." _

_"That's what makes him perfect." _

_The last voice had not been his but that of Dr. J himself. _

Heero snapped out of his reverie. He wasn't sure at what time the two men below him had left, but they were gone now. That didn't do much to boost Heero's self confidence. He was on a very important mission and he could not even keep his own mind from wandering off. Heero's face was grim as he thought about what would have happened if he had been discovered while still in his trance. What a disappointment he was turning out to be to his old trainer and teacher.

Perfect. Dr. J had used that word to describe him many times. Even to the point where he was being referred to as his ?perfect soldier'. But Heero knew deep down he had always been far from perfect. There were many things he could do, but to complete each mission with a hundred percent accuracy was not one of them. There was the time he had been discovered by Zechs before he even reached the Earth on his first major mission. And then when he had stupidly wiped out all those pacifists which not only helped OZ's efforts immensely but also made life a living hell for him and the rest of the Gundam pilots afterwards. And of course, there was always his promise to kill Relena Peacecraft in which--on several attempts--he had proved too weak to pull even that off.

Heero used extreme caution as he slowly lifted the grate and peeked around at the inside of the factory. Besides the endless droning of the tireless assembling machines, he could see no one. Heero slid slowly, soundlessly out of the little tunnel and crouched on the catwalk beneath it, ready for anything. A few more moments of listening and watching confirmed Heero's suspicions that the place was empty.

Heero stood up straight and even with his efforts to block it out, that young voice once again echoed inside his head. So calm, so confident.

_"Nothing scares me."_

He knew better now. Many things scared him--more than he would like to admit. But above all else, he was afraid of no longer being the perfect soldier. The thought of not being good enough for his missions, of being a failure, terrified him. Other things scared him, too, Heero noted as he glanced at the small, dark vent. But these were not something he had time to dwell on now.

Heero moved with natural stealth and grace along the catwalk over the factory. He remained focused and alert, always keeping an eye out for anyone who would spot him. Luckily, the factory remained devoid of all human activity. With the prowess of a jungle cat, Heero vaulted soundlessly to the floor below and crouched, once again ready for anything. On the wall at his side was a small key pad with numbers on it. Heero already knew which numbers to push from earlier infiltration missions. But before his finger could even come in contact with the device, the hidden metal door slid open with a hiss.

Two men in lab coats stepped out of the room beyond into the seemingly empty factory. Neither one of them noticed anything that would give them cause for alarm and thus continued with their conversation without interruption.

"Pushing ahead the schedule?" one of them was saying. "Who does this guy think we are? We're already running at full efficiency as it is."

The other only nodded. "Yes, but Mr. Underwood knows what he's doing. As long as he continues to pay us, I'm not going to argue."

"Yeah, but two weeks? Do you think we can possibly finish all those mobile suits by then?"

"We'll have to work on them twenty-four hours a day. But if we split up the workers into two shifts, I think we can pull it off. And besides, we're getting plenty of overtime for this as well."

The other man shrugged. "You're the boss."

The two men left the large assembly room without so much as breaking their stride. After a moment of silence, Heero dropped down from the bottom of the catwalk where he had been clinging to. He started darkly at the direction the two men had gone for he had heard everything. Now he had a name. So it was this Underwood who was behind these operations. Heero would hunt him down and deal with him later. Right now, he had more urgent matters to attend to.

"Two weeks," Heero muttered under his breath. "That doesn't give me much time."

* * *

Wufei drove up to a small, yet familiar house. It was located about three miles away from the city with clean windows and a quaint little yard out front. Nothing fancy but it still managed to look nice. He stepped out of the vehicle with the Preventers logo and strolled up to the front door. He raised his hand to knock on it when a voice called to him from above.

"Well, if it isn't the Karate Kid. What are you up to now Wufei?"

The young man stepped back off the porch and looked upward. In the dimming light of the fading sunset he could see a dark figure crouched up on the roof.

"What the hell do you think you're doing up there?" he asked.

Felicia's reply was calm. "Nothing much. Care to join me?"

"I have better things to do with my time," Wufei informed her with arms crossed.

"Like what?" Felicia asked the question in such a manner that indicated she knew she wasn't going to get a good answer.

Wufei just stood there and looked indignant, keeping to himself the fact that the only reason he was there was because he had nothing better to do. This time, Wufei did not have a good reason for coming to Sally's house and he knew it.

"Get up here," Felicia invited again. "There's all this crap stacked up in the back you can climb up. Unless you're afraid that you're going to fall off!"

Wufei narrowed his eyes as she continued to grin. A moment's pause and then Wufei turned on his heels and headed for the back of the house. Minutes later he was up on the roof and approaching the place where Felicia was sitting with legs crossed watching the sunset. Wufei silently took a seat beside her in the same fashion. It was then he noticed she had an ice pack resting in her lap. Felicia's left eye was starting to darken.

"How's your eye?" Wufei asked. There was hardly any concern in his voice as he was merely grasping for some kind of conversation.

"Fine. How's your nose?"

Wufei's hand went directly to the small bandage resting on the bridge of his broken nose.

"Fine."

There was a moment of silence before Wufei spoke again. There was a more commanding tone to his voice this time.

"You know something," he stated.

Felicia scrunched her brows and gave him an odd look. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"There's no use hiding. I can see it in your eyes. They've become hard. They know things now."

Felicia quickly looked away. She had not expected that kind of accusation so soon. This Wufei was proving to be more astute than she had given him credit for.

Wufei was beginning to get impatient at her silence. "So tell me then, am I wrong? Look me in the face and tell me that I am wrong and I will ask no more."

Felicia hung her head. "No, you are not wrong."

Wufei grinned in triumph. "So tell me then, why are you here?"

Felicia lifted her gaze and leveled it on him. "I can't."

"Why not?" he demanded, folding his arms in annoyance.

"Trust me Wufei, you don't want to get involved. You're better off just leaving it alone. Besides," Felicia added with a crafty smile. "I would think you would have had enough after I wiped the floor with you earlier."

Wufei returned the smile with a crooked smirk of his own. He realized she was attempting to change the subject but he allowed himself to take the bate.

"Your memory fails you woman. It was I who proved that you were weaker."

"Whatever! I slapped you around like a red-headed step child!"

"As I recall, you were the first to fall under my superior abilities."

"Only because you hit me with the back of a chair!"

"Well you deserved it!"

"Yeah, well you started pulling out the weapons only because you knew you were loosing!"

"What? Absurd! There is no justice I say!"

* * *

Sally was in the kitchen chopping up vegetables for dinner when she heard the verbal battle from the open window next to her. She had heard Wufei drive up and was wondering why he did not knock. Now she knew.

"And you're a big cheater, too!"

"Woman, are you challenging my integrity!"

"Nah, I'm just calling you a cowardly lair!"

"Injustice! I will teach you how to hold your tongue!"

"Oh yeah!"

The exchange of insults became indistinguishable as both parties started yelling at each other at the same time. And though Sally wasn't too thrilled about having to listen to their childish squabbles at the moment, she was glad at this argument didn't seem like it was going to develop into physical combat. Both teens were still in sorry shape from the last one.

Sally smiled to herself as she heard the familiar rumble of thunder in the distance. Those two wouldn't be up on the roof for long. She went about setting the small round table, putting on three places this time for her guests. The thunder cracked louder the second time. It wouldn't be long now before they would retreat to the house and she had to be ready. A storm was coming.


	6. Chapter 6: Happy Birthday, Dear Quatre

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Six: Happy Birthday, Dear Quatre

Millardo Peacecraft quickly whisked a few strands of light blonde hair away from his eyes with his fingers before they returned back to his lap top's key board to continue their tireless clickity-clacking in the silent room. His mouth was set in a firm line and his shoulders hunched. He let out a heavy breath but never wavered in his mission. So many reports to fill out. If he had ever known how much typing he'd be doing on Mars he never would have gone and let some other schmuck do it all.

Luckily, the terra forming project would be finished in a little over a month--if all went well, of course. Millardo was sorry it admit that it rarely did. But he was determined to get this thing done and over with. Then he could finally get off this cursed planet and go home to be with his sister. Perhaps even settle down and start a family...

Millardo paused as that thought swam through his head. Start a family? Live a normal life? Was that even possible any more? In truth, though he had been living with Lucretia for almost two years now, he still hadn't had the guts to get out and propose to her yet. It seemed obvious to both they would get married together sometime in their lives. It was something unspoken yet understood between them. Both just knew. So Millardo didn't have to worry about that. However, to make all that official--to say the words out loud--was something completely different.

A tight frown creased Millardo's handsome features as he thought of his love. Lucretia Noin. How he loved her for the longest time. He could no longer remember a time in his life when he didn't love her. She was his best friend and true companion. He felt like he could do anything in the word with her by his side. So why then, was he so afraid to ask her that one simple question?

_Because she's too good for you._ His mind immediately answered. _She deserves better._

Millardo closed his eyes in shame. He knew that Lucretia didn't believe that, but he still couldn't help feeling that way. He had been such an idiot in the past. Sometimes he would stay awake at night wondering just why she stayed with him. But the he would look in her eyes and he would get his answer. Because she loved him and nothing he could ever do would make her love him less.

A shadow of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth at the thought of her. How she would laugh at him if she knew how long he had been holding onto her engagement ring--just waiting for the right time to give it to her. Sometimes he wondered if the right time would ever come.

The sound of the door opening and closing brought Millardo from his thoughts.

"Honey, I'm hoooome!" came a boisterous female voice from the other room.

Lucretia Noin swaggered energetically into the room and right up to the man sitting at his desk with his back facing her.

"I expected you back a few days ago," Millardo informed her calmly as he kept his eyes on his work.

Lucretia only smiled at his attempt to sound placid. "I know, but I thought you would have realized by now that nothing stays on schedule around here."

Millardo nodded grimly and continued typing. Lucretia grinned at the back of his head and then wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Mmm...it's so good to be home," he said softly in his ear.

Millardo stiffened as he was filled with the sudden urge to take her in his arms and kiss her with all the passion that had been building up over the two weeks she had been gone. She smelled of the sandy Mars deserts and machine oil but he didn't mind. Despite other compulsions, he merely placed a hand on her arm and smiled.

"It's good to have you back, too."

Lucretia let her arms hang casually over his shoulders as she looked at the computer screen.

"So what are you working on?"

"Just another report."

"You going to be finished with it any time soon?"

"I'm almost done. However, I'd probably finish a lot faster if you weren't distracting me."

Lucretia laughed. "Me? Distracting?" She moved her lips nearer and whispered sensually in his ear. "No where would you get that idea?"

"Lucretia, please?" Millardo asked. It sounded more like a plea than a demand. For he knew that if she really wanted him to quit she could get him to and it would probably be a while until he could get back to his work again.. "I'm so close to being done here. Just give me a few more minutes."

"Fine," Noin chuckled as his imploring voice. She slowly moved away, letting her arms glide past his neck as she went. "I'll just be over here -taking- off -ALL -my -clothes- while you just continue typing there."

Millardo growled out a sound of annoyed frustration. "As long as you do it quietly. I'm trying to work."

"Fine, be that way," Lucretia huffed as she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door none too gently behind her.

Millardo allowed himself a moment to chuckle lightly as he heard the shower water running. He then returned his focus back to his work and by the time Lucretia was done, so was he. The dark haired woman stepped out of the bathroom in her robe, a small towel draped over her shoulder. She used the corner of it to dry her thick bangs and stood by the foot of the bed.

"So how was your trip?" Millardo asked causally as he set about sending his report to the Preventers base on Earth.

Lucretia let out a big sigh and flopped backwards on the bed. "Oh, you have no idea. I'm so exhausted! The next time those guys down there ask for help, remind me not to volunteer."

Millardo smiled as he closed his lap top and stood over her. "Count on it. Besides," he added as he crawled onto the bed next to her. "I like you exactly where you are."

Lucretia smiled as she traced a finger down his check. "You'll get no complaints about that from me." She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips. "So, did you get in touch with Relena while I was gone?"

"Yeah, I did," Millardo confirmed while he played with her hair.

"And how is everything down there?"

"Good. Except--that reminds me, Relena said she was worried about that new commander you put in charge."

Lucretia sat up on her elbows. "Who? Grimaud?"

"Yeah, that was his name. Relena said that he wasn't doing much to help push her peace proposals. Are you sure you got the right guy for the job?"

"Hey, I know Commander Grimaud is a bit rough around the edges, but he's a good guy. He just has a different way of expressing himself. But I made sure I got someone who agrees with Relena's ideals."

"Yeah, but she---"

Lucretia cut him off by pressing a finger to his lips. "Have a little faith in me," she whispered. "Give her a chance to get used to him. In another week or so we'll call to see how it's going and if she's still having problems we'll check it out, okay?"

Millardo smiled is surrender. "Okay."

"You should be careful," Noin warned playfully as she started to slowly unbutton his shirt. "With all this attention your giving your sister I might get jealous."

Millardo grinned back at her with a mischievous gleam in his blue eyes. "Well, we wouldn't want that," he said in his husky voice.

He leaned closer to the dark haired woman and possessed her lips with his. Lucretia responded to the kiss with equal passion as he slowly lowered her to the bed.

* * *

"Quatre! Phone!" called one of his many sisters as she poked her head in the room.

"Coming."

Quatre got up from where he was reading quietly. Because it was his birthday he got the day off from his regular family business issues as his sisters had gladly volunteered to take over for the day. And speaking of sisters, Quatre couldn't recall ever seeing so many of them at one time before. Blonde young women mingled all about the house. It seemed Quatre couldn't go anywhere without running into one. The only place he could actually find some privacy was in his personal study where he had been reading until he received the call.

Quatre walked into the kitchen where a different sister than the one who had called him was holding the receiver, her hand covering the speaking end.

"It's a girl," she smirked as she handed it to him.

Quatre's heart actually jumped at the news but his face showed annoyance as he grabbed the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Quatre? It's Candy, remember me?"

"Yeah, I do Candy! Hi!" His face broke into a grand smile but it quickly shaped itself into a frown when he noticed a small handful of his nosy sisters now gathered and whispering amongst themselves in the doorway.

"Hi. Look Quatre, I'm really sorry to bother you but I think I may have left something in your car that night we went shopping."

"What's that?" Quatre asked as he shooed the girls out of the kitchen so he could have some privacy.

"Well, it's a---"

"Excuse me for one minute Candy--" Quatre cut her off before yelling into the receiver. "Get off the other line you guys! I'm trying to have one simple conversation by myself! Is that too much to ask?"

Female snickering echoed on the line before the sounds of someone hanging up another phone somewhere could be heard on the receiver. By now Candy was laughing as well.

"Were those more of your sisters?" she asked with humor in her voice.

"Yeah," Quatre grumbled.

"How many do you have over there now?"

"Too many," Quatre sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I've lost track of the number. So what was it you lost again?"

"Oh yeah. It's a little ring with a pink rhinestone. I feel really bad about asking this of you. I know your busy."

"No, no, it's fine really. I don't mind."

"Great. Thanks so much Quatre! I'm going to be driving by there in a little bit anyway so I'll just stop by then to see if you found it, okay?"

"Okay, I'll see you then. Bye."

"Later!"

Quatre hung up the phone and his face instantly went from happy to annoyed. He could still hear his sisters talking about him in the other room. He was about to lecture them on minding their own business when another one poked her head into the room.

"Quatre! You've got a call from Earth on the vid screen!"

The blonde young man sighed. It looked like he'd have to talk to them later. Taking a deep breath he trudged out of the kitchen and down the hall, ignoring all the "So who were you talking to Quatre?" type comments. He reached the room which contained his large vid screen, most often used for long distance business meetings. Quatre turned on the visual screen and a handful of smiling older faces met his vision.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MASTER QUATRE!" the Manganacs instantly cheered.

Quatre was taken aback by the sudden greeting but then he smiled. He could see on his large screen that a lot of the original forty were there. Most of them had traded in their usual red fezes for party hats. In the background confetti flew every where and there was the sound of noise makers mixed in with lively music.

"Hi you guys," Quatre greeted enthusiastically. "Look at all that! Wow! I can't believe you guys remembered my birthday!"

"Aw, we'd never forget your birthday Master Quatre," Abdul grinned from behind his trademark sunglasses.

"Yeah," Ahmad jumped in. "You're still one of us no matter where you go. We're just sorry we weren't able to make it to the party in person."

"That's alright," Quatre assured them. "So what's going on out there? Are you having a party of your own?"

Abdul laughed sheepishly. "Well, just because we can't be with you in person doesn't mean we can't celebrate, does it?"

Quatre laughed. "Well it's great to see you guys again nonetheless."

"Actually, Abdul was trying to raise enough money to buy a ticket to the colonies," Ahmad pointed out.

"Really?" Quatre grinned. "Just for me?"

"Nah!" Auda spoke up. "He just wanted to come because all your sisters would be there!"

A bunch of the Manganacs--including Quatre-- laughed while Abdul slugged Auda in the arm.

"What's wrong with that?" Abdul defended. "And speaking of which, we heard from Rasid you got yourself a girlfriend yourself Master Quatre."

Quatre instantly stopped laughing. "Rasid told you THAT?"

"Yup, that's what he said," Auda grinned. "So how about it Master, is she cute?"

"If she's Master Quatre's girl she's probably drop dead gorgeous," Ahmad chided.

"Then tell us Master, is she a fox or what?" Abdul added.

Quatre, for his part, was at a loss with all the questions he was being bombarded with.

"No guys, it's not--wait a minute, hold on--I don't--no wait!"

It was at this time Rasid decided to see what his comrades were doing at the vid screen.

"Are you guys bothering Mater Quatre?" he demanded.

"Rasid! Why did you tell them I had a girlfriend!" Quatre cried.

The tall Manganac instantly wished he had minded his own business.

"Um...well you see...cough" was all he could think to say. "Now, I'm sure Quatre is very busy, we must not bother him all the time."

The other three took their turn to look sheepish.

"Thanks for calling you guys," Quatre finally said. "Enjoy your party."

"You, too," Abdul grinned.

"Yeah, happy birthday Master Quatre," Ahmad added.

Quatre gave Rasid a look that meant he wanted to talk to him later as the vid screen was shut off. In his spare moment of silence Quatre sighed. He had a feeling to day was going to be a long and stressful day.

"Hey Quatre!" another of his many sisters called as she stepped into the room.

"What now?" Quatre demanded impatiently.

"Woa, easy there little brother. Don't kill the messenger. Some guy came at the door looking for you. Just thought you'd like to know."

She left with a huff and Quatre dragged his feet after her. He slowly tromped towards the foyer to see who it was that wanted to bother him now. The tall, grinning young man leaning against the wall was the last person he ever expected to see.

"Duo?" he asked, hardly believing his eyes.

The braided figure moved away from the wall and placed his hands on his hips.

"Hey buddy-boy! Long time no see!" Duo paused when he noticed Quatre appeared a bit flustered. "Woa, look at you! Did I come at a bad time?"

"No, no!" Quatre insisted. "Out of all the people I've had to deal with today, you're the first I'm actually happy to see. Please, come in."

Quatre led the way further into the house and as they went, Duo couldn't help but notice all the many blonde young women milling about the place.

"Woa Quatre, since when did you turn this place into the Playboy Mansion?" Duo joked as they stepped into his personal study room.

"They're my sisters visiting for my birthday today," Quatre explained as he took a seat.

"Hey, it's your birthday today? Wow! Great timing Maxwell," Duo congratulated himself. "Maybe I'll stick around for the party before I head out."

"What brought you here anyway, Duo?" Quatre wanted to know.

Duo looked down and started fiddling with the end of his braid. "Well, ya see, I ran into Relena Peacecraft a few weeks ago and she asked me if I know anything about Heero. She looked so sad Quatre, and I couldn't tell her a damn thing. So I decided to myself that Heero's had enough time hiding from the world and I'm going to find him. I just thought maybe I'd stop by here first. With all the traveling you do I thought maybe you'd know where I should start looking."

Quatre nodded in understanding as Duo told his story. "I'm sorry Duo, I can't say I've seen or heard of anything that might indicate where Heero is. One thing about that guy, he knows how to disappear."

"Tell me about it," Duo mumbled darkly. "So many different places he could be. It could take for ever." He hung his head and slumped his shoulders in disappointment. "Tell me Quatre, is this search possible? Or do you think I'm headed out on some foolish snipe hunt?"

Quatre reached over and placed a hand on his comrade's shoulder. "Duo, if Heero is really meant to be found then I'm sure you can do it. And I'll help you in your search for him any way I can."

His offer was rewards with a half smile from Duo. "Thanks Quatre, you're a great friend. I just wish Heero would realize that he has friends, too. That he doesn't have to be alone."

Quatre nodded, for once being able to enjoy the calmness in the atmosphere.

DING-DONG!

"Quatre, can you get the door?" one of his sisters called.

Quatre gritted his teeth, so much for that. Flustered, the young man got up and poked his head out into the hall.

"Can't anyone else get it?"

DING-DONG

"Oh for crying out loud Quatre! Can you please just get the door?"

The blonde young man heaved a sigh as he started again for the front door. Duo was at his heels, smirking.

"Busy day Quatre?" he asked with amusement.

"You have no idea. I'm starting to wish this birthday would just hurry up and end so I can have a little peace and quiet around here."

Quatre pretty much felt like he was at the end of his rope as he reached the doorknob and yanked it open.

"What is it now?" he demanded before he even had time to think.

The red haired girl on the porch just stared with wide eyes at Quatre's irked expression. "Oh, did I come at a bad time?"

The apologetic expression on her face made Quatre instantly feel like the lowest scum in the universe.

"Candy! Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was you."

Candy still looked a little unsure as she wavered in the doorway.

"I could come back another time if you'd like."

"No, it's fine, really. Things are just kind of hectic around here lately. I'm sorry, but I haven't been able to look in the car yet."

"That's fine Quatre, I can just take a look myself real quick if that's okay."

"Sure, that would be fine." Quatre moved away and motioned for Candy to step inside. She walked in but stopped in mid stride at the sight of the taller American standing before her.

"Oh Candy, this is my friend Duo Maxwell. Duo, this is Candace Reeves," Quatre introduced them both.

"Hiya," Duo grinned as he shook her hand energetically.

"Nice to meet you," Candy smiled back and then turned to Quatre. "So Quatre, just point me towards the garage and I'll be out of your hair in no time."

"It's this way," Quatre said, motioning her to follow. He managed to catch the smirk Duo was giving him before he turned his back.

The three tramped through the house, past all the many blonde women giving them questioning looks, and into the large garage where quite a collection of expensive cars were waiting in a line.

"Here," Quatre said, motioning to the car they had taken that night.

"Great," Candy replied. "I'll just take a quick look around and see if it's there." She moved towards the car and opened the passenger side door, poking her head inside.

Duo and Quatre stayed a few feet away, the former enjoying the view supplied with Candy bending over the car.

"Not too bad," he whispered to Quatre. "Maybe I should stick around here longer. You wouldn't mind if I asked her out, would ya Quat?"

"Duo!" Quatre hissed. "Sh-h-h!" He tried to avoid an answer, knowing if he protested to Duo's request he would be blamed for liking her. And even if he really did, he wasn't about to admit it yet. But unfortunately for him, Duo next brought up the one question he was trying to escape.

"What? Don't tell me you've got the hots for her! Not that I blame you, she is one fine piece of--"

"DUO!"

The braided pilot looked at him and blinked.

"What?"

Quatre shook his head and sighed. "Nothing."

"Quatre!" a feminine voice called from inside. "You've got another phone call! It's Iria!"

The blond young man ran his fingers through his thick bangs and reluctantly said he was coming.

"Duo, can you stay here with Candy while I take care of this?"

"Can I!" Duo replied with enthusiasm.

"Duo, please," Quatre begged. "Behave while I'm gone."

Duo pretended to look shocked. "What, me? Perish the thought."

"Behave," Quatre warned again as he stepped back into the house.

The American continued to give his Duo-will-behave type smile until Quatre closed the door. Then a smirk covered his face as he sauntered up to the open car door.

"So babe, what's your sign," he suavely asked the bottom half of Candy that was sticking out of the car.

"What?" came a muffled voice from inside.

Duo tried again. "Did you find your...whatever it is yet?"

"Yeah, maybe. I think it's stuck in this little crack beneath the seat belt buckle."

Duo stuck his head into the car and leaned over her so he could see what she was groping at. "Need any help?" His head was hovering right over hers now and his braid slid off his shoulder and swished next to Candy's face.

"What the---what the heck is this?" she asked as she tugged on the braid.

"Hey, that's my hair lady! Leggo!" Duo protested.

"Well keep it out of my way then," Candy replied, tossing the end of it back over her shoulder. "And back up, huh? Ever heard of personal space?" She elbowed him lightly in the side for emphasis.

"Fine, fine," Duo grumbled as he retracted himself from the car.

"Ah yes, found you, ya little devil," Candy grinned as she stood and produced her ring. She slipped it on her finger before turning towards the long haired young man. "So, Duo is it, how long have you known Quatre?"

"A couple years," Duo shrugged.

"And does he always have that many girls over?" she asked as she looked at the door.

Duo shrugged again. "I dunno. He said they all came over for his birthday today."

Candy gasped as if she had just seen death itself.

"What!"

"Quatre's birthday is today!" Candy cried. "I totally forgot! I didn't get him anything! Oh crap!"

"So," Duo asked. "I didn't either. Heck, I didn't even know when his birthday was until I happened to drop by today."

"Dude, come with me to the mall real quick then," Candy announced as an idea suddenly came to her. "We'll go shop and then come back. Ya wanna?"

"Uh, sure, I guess," Duo replied, not really caring.

"Cool!" Candy ran for the door and poked her head inside. At the same instant one of Quatre's many sisters happened to walk by.

"Hey Quatre's Sister," Candy called. "We're going out real quick but tell Quatre we'll be back. Okay?"

"Sure, whatever," she answered as she snapped a piece of bubble gum in her mouth.

"Yeah, I'm going too," Duo added uncertainly before Candy grabbed his sleeve and hauled him away.

"Come on!"

The squealing of tires could be heard seconds later and the way Candy drove, the two had reached their destination in no time at all.

"Woa! And I thought I had a heavy foot!" Duo commented as he stepped out of the car. "I think we just broke the sound barrier that time!"

"Well I'm on a tight schedule today," Candy defended. "So deal with it. I've only got about an hour left before I have to leave so let's pick it up."

Duo hoofed it after Candy as she jogged into the gigantic building. The two instantly started hitting the stores in a frantic search to find some gift suitable for their wealthy friend.

"Oh, this is harder than I thought it would be," Candy pouted after about fifteen minutes of window shopping. She stared moodily at the contents of a sales table stationed outside one of the stores. "What kind of present do you get for the guy who has everything?"

"The age old question," Duo chuckled as he wandered around her. "Maybe you should get him something like a--HILDE!"

"What? What's a hilde?" Candy looked up and saw that Duo was standing nose to nose with a dark haired girl that had just come around the corner. "Oh."

"Duo?" Hilde asked, just as surprised to see him there.

"Hilde!" Duo squeaked again. "My, what an um...uh, pleasant surprise! You showed up just in time to meet..." He gazed around him frantically. "HER!"

"Duo--What!" Candy cried as he grabbed her arm and yanked her over to him.

"Don't ask questions," Duo pleaded in her ear. "Just pretend you like me, please!" He instantly turned back to Hilde with a smile far too big for even his usual grin.

"Hilde, I'd like you to meet Janice."

"Candace."

"Candace, right!"

Hilde looked back an forth undecidedly from the nervous boy to the confused girl. "And she is...?" she probed.

Duo grinned even wider. "My girlfriend, of course!"

"GIRLFRIEND? I'M NOBODY'S G--Mmph mmph!"

Candy was cut off as Duo quickly slapped a hand over her mouth and laughed nervously.

"Yup, we've been together for a couple of months now, right Pookie?"

He cautiously removed his hand from her mouth. Candy only growled in reply.

"Heh, she's such a kidder," Duo said, patting her shoulder. At the same time he gave her a pleading look to play along.

"So..." Hilde began with somewhat uncertainty. "How have you been Duo?"

"Oh, it's been great, right Candace?" _Please, just this once! I'm begging you!_

Candy sighed. How could she say no to such a pathetic look?

"Right," she lied, grinning with an almost pained expression on her face. "Couldn't be happier."

Hilde smiled. "Well I'm glad I ran into you Duo. I wanted to talk--"

"Woa! Would you look at the time!" Duo interrupted. He looked at his wrist which didn't even have a watch on it. "Well, we gotta go now. Got a bus to catch! See ya!"

With that, he promptly spun on his heels, pulling Candace with him in his hasty retreat. Hilde stood there, dumbfounded, as she watched the couple walk away.

Duo let out a sigh of relief as they retreated. "Whew! Glad I made it out of that one."

"Not yet you haven't," Candy growled as she grabbed hold of his braid. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Mister!"

"Hey! Leggo!" Duo struggled to get away but he couldn't fight the steely grip Candy had on his hair. Only after she had yanked him around the corner and out of site did she finally let go.

"Okay Duo, I'll give it to you straight out," Candy said as she jabbed him in the chest with a finger. "I'm not here as your little pawn so you can get that girl or make her jealous or whatever the heck it was you were trying to do back there, okay?"

Duo's face faltered as he looked at her. "It's not like that," he said softly and sighed, lowering his head. "She's an old friend of mine. It's just that I caused her so much pain and trouble in the past. But she still worries about me. I just wanted her to think I was being taken care of so she wouldn't have to worry any more."

Candy's features softened at this and she raked her hand through her bangs. "Wow, that's one I've never heard before," she whispered. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

Duo nodded reluctantly. "I know it sounds silly. I'm just grateful you put up with me long enough to play along."

Candy smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "No problem. Now lets hurry and find something for Quatre so we can get back."

As the couple continued on their way, Hilde remained where she was with a perplexed look on her face.

"Hilde, there you are," Trowa said as he walked up behind her.

Hilde turned to her taller friend.

"Trowa, you won't believe who I just ran into."

* * *

Rows and rows of sleek, black mobile dolls stood at stiff attention in their underground hide-away. A place so deep and so secret it was spoken about with hushed whispers by those who knew about it--which were few. The lair of these emotionless soldiers remained unknown to Earth and even the very citizens of the colonies it presided on. But Heero Yuy knew.

He made it his business to know about conspiracies and secret armies. That was his job. That was his mission. The well muscled young man stalked soundlessly through the rows of mobile dolls which remained inactivated. Every once in a while he would reach into his bag and place a small explosive in one strategic place or another.

Each one was fastened with the care and grace of a master. Heero couldn't believe how hard it was to get hold of explosives these days. To find them he had to dig down in the dregs of the colony's underworld and order small portions from several different providers so it would be harder to trace him. It took him over a week just to accumulate the collection he had. He needed to make each one of them count.

Men in starched lab coats wandered mildly about as the machines assembling the mobile dolls continued on with their tireless task. No one at the secret base was ever aware of their infiltrator as Heero put the last bomb in place. With that part of his mission completed he sank back into the concealing shadows he knew so well. Heero's confidence rose as he slipped back the way he had come. There was no stopping the mission now.

Even if Heero was caught he could detonate the explosives at any time. And he was ready to do it without a second thought, no matter how close he was to the explosion when it was set off. Also, in the apartment his lap top was already waiting to send information of what he found to various other sources on Earth and the colonies if he did not return within a certain time.

But there was no cause for that this time. Heero snuck past the security and out of the building as he had easily done several times before. He walked almost casually away from the factory, a small hint of satisfaction at a job well done shown on his face. His mind and body could ease their focus now. But as Heero's mental barriers relaxed, certain voices from his past came back to haunt him. The sporadic memories came unbidden and Heero had long since grew tired of fighting to control what they showed.

_"Who are you enemies?" _

_The young boy regarded this question the same as all the rest--with indifference. _

_"What do you mean by that?" _

_"You're always talking about "the enemy". Who are they exactly?" _

_"My enemies are those who try to hurt me and those who stand in the way of my mission. They are obstacles and must be eliminated." _

_The girl had almost seemed a bit upset at that answer. _

_"Is that really what you believe or do you say it because that's what Dr. J told you to." _

_He hadn't responded, acting like he hadn't heard. The girl tried again. _

_"Are your missions so important they're worth giving up yourself?"_

Heero turned and stared hard at the distant factory as that last question echoed as clearly in his head as if she were right there asking it. Such an intelligent question, yes. But she did not understand. He was a kid without a past, without a place in the world, without a name. He was merely referred to by a serial number back then in Dr. J's lab before his code name was given to him upon the departure for Operation: Meteor. The missions made him feel like a person. As long as he had missions to accomplish he was depended on, he had purpose. Without missions Heero Yuy did not exist. Without them he was nobody. Without them there was no reason for Heero Yuy to be.

_Yes,_ he answered in his mind. _The mission is everything._

With mouth set firm Heero punched the detonator with his thumb. Stone, emotionless eyes watched as the ground rumbled and fire spewed forth, ripping and scraping at the metal factory as it burst from it's confines. More explosions sounded from deeper under the ground as the colony itself seemed to tremble. Nothing would be the same after this and Heero knew it. But he did not mind. A change in the times would mean there would be a place for him again and the soldier was ready.

* * *

DING--DONG!

Quatre once again reached for the door and mentally realized there wasn't a guest he had met today that had not surprised him at their appearance.

"Trowa?" he asked weakly. Quatre rubbed his eyes and looked the tall figure over once more to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Trowa! It is you! Wh--what are you doing here?"

The tall young man lifted his head a little, revealing one piercing green eye. A hint of a smile played on his usual placid features. "It is your birthday, is it not?"

Quatre, who was still trying to recover from all the surprises he had received that day, was fumbling for words at Trowa's practical reply.

"W--well yeah...but I--Trowa, I can't believe you remembered my birthday! And you came all this way..." Quatre looked almost like he was going to cry after such an act of friendship but Trowa would have none of that.

"Quatre, you remember Hilde," he said, motioning to the shorter, dark haired girl at his side.

"Hilde?" Quatre looked at her with question in his dark eyes. But then it was as if a light had turned on in his head. "Oh Hilde! Yes! I do remember! Oh wow!"

Hilde's face showed wide-eyed surprise as Quatre suddenly caught her up in a warm embrace. But she quickly relaxed and hugged him back. Quatre pulled away and held her at arms length to get a good look at her.

"It's so great to see you again!"

"It's nice to see you again, too Quatre," Hilde smiled. "How have you been?"

"Oh, great! Just great. Please come in you guys." He motioned for them to come into the house. Trowa and Hilde picked up their luggage and followed him inside.

"Please excuse the mess and all my sisters, it's been really busy around here lately," Quatre apologized.

"Not at all," Hilde chuckled good naturedly. "I love a lived-in house."

Quatre smiled at her good humor. "So how did you two end up together anyway?"

Hilde, once again, was quick to answer. "Trowa's circus was performing where I was living and he invited me to come along to your place. I hope that's okay. It looks like you really weren't expecting us."

"No, not at all! Don't worry about it," Quatre assured her. "Trowa drops by every once in a while when he can so it's usually not planned. Both of your are welcome any time. There's always plenty of rooms here. Come, I'll show you."

Quatre led them up a flight of stairs and down the hall. Opening the first door he showed Hilde what would be her room and Trowa's room would be the one opposite from it.

"So how long are you guys staying?" Quatre then asked.

"The shuttle leaves tomorrow," Trowa answered simply for the both of them.

Quatre looked a little disappointed that they weren't staying longer but he quickly shrugged it off. "Hilde, would you like me to give you a tour of the house? I know Trowa's already seen it several times but he can come too if he wants."

"Go ahead," Trowa said from where he stood in the doorway. "I'm going to stay and unpack."

"I'd love to," Hilde grinned. "I'll unpack later tonight."

Quatre smiled and offered her his arm. She took it with a giggle and they strolled off down the hall, arm in arm, like a mock couple. Stone faced, Trowa watched them leave. Whatever went through his mind just then would never be revealed on his features as he retreated back into his room.

The tour didn't take that long to finish. The large house wasn't really all that fancy. Most of its mass was actually made up of guestrooms which came in handy since it seemed to Quatre he always had throws of people there all the time. It seemed like he was housing a colony of ants that came and went as they pleased. And because of the many bodies that often occupied the house, everything in there had to be big---kitchen, bathrooms, everything. The whole site left Hilde breathless. She had never seen such a spacious house in all her life.

Their tour ended back on the front porch where Quatre offered her a seat at the small painted table there. He ordered drinks to be brought to them while they waited for Trowa to come down. In all actuality, Quatre did not really enjoy having hired help. But with a house if this size it was the only way he could manage to keep the place clean and in order. It was like running a motel without getting paid.

"So how have you been doing Hilde," Quatre asked with polite curiosity.

"Pretty good, actually," Hilde replied. "I'm kinda living on my own now. But I've got my own shop and it's going pretty good. I'm having a lot of fun. And of course, running into Trowa was a bonus. I didn't really know him until now. I'm glad we got a second chance to become friends."

Hilde paused to think about what she said for a minute. Were they really friends? She thought back to the few days she had spent with Trowa. The day they got caught in the rain and had holed up in Hilde's place until it had subsided. Yes, Hilde decided with a smile. They were friends.

"That's great," Quatre replied with a grin. "And I hope this isn't the last time I get to see you. Maybe in the future we can become friends as well."

Hilde returned his smile with one of her own. "I'd like that."

The squealing of approaching tires brought both pairs of eyes towards the road as a used looking blue car pulled up in front of the Winner estate.

"Made it in record time!" Candy announced as she jumped from the vehicle.

"Yeah," Duo replied as he stepped out as well. "If any cops would have seen us I doubt they would have been able to catch up."

Quatre's face brightened when he saw the two get out. He turned to the dark haired girl sitting across from him. "I forgot to tell you Duo was here also. I bet you're glad to see him again, huh?"

Hilde took one look at the braided young man and she thought her heart would leap up in her throat. She had a feeling she'd meet up with Duo again at Quatre's house. There was no other reason for either of them to be there besides that. She had so wanted to talk with him about what happened between them in the past. They had left so many things unsaid and Hilde had been wanting to close the book between them for sometime now. But as she gazed at him across the lawn her courage failed her and she feared she would not be able to really face him yet.

"Oh yeah, sure," she said in a slightly shaky voice. She paused when she saw the redheaded girl he was talking with. "Oh look, he brought his girlfriend with him, too."

Quatre gave her a befuddled look. "His girlfriend? No, I don't think you're right."

Now it was Hilde's turn to look confused. "Isn't her name Candace?"

"Yes," Quatre answered with a wary tone.

"Well when I saw Duo earlier at the mall he told me she was his girlfriend."

Quatre's jaw went slack at the news. They had only known each other for a couple of hours. How could that be true? "What," he asked in almost a whisper.

Hilde didn't seem to notice Quatre's reaction as she went on. "It's kind of weird, I know. I mean, when I first saw him they were acting really strange and she didn't appear to like Duo that much. But when they left she suddenly started getting all clingy with him. Talk about possessive. She wouldn't even let go of his braid as they walked off."

"His braid," Quatre repeated with a lost look on his face.

He lowered his gaze to the table top. Was it really true? And what if it was? Why did it bother him so much that they were together? They both had a lot in common--both were outgoing and casual and they did seem to hit it off pretty well. When his sister had told Quatre they had left together, he really didn't know what they were up to. It seemed like more went on between them then than he had imagined. But nonetheless, shouldn't he be happy for them? Why did the idea of Duo having a girlfriend bother him so much? Or was it the fact the Duo had Candy that made his stomach sink?

"Oh shoot! I forgot to write on the card!" Candy announced.

She dipped back into the car on the passenger side, balancing the wrapped, rectangular package on her lap as she pulled the birthday card from its envelope. After fishing out a pen from her glove compartment, Candy hurried and scribbled a message on the inside of the card. Duo remained by her side, leaning on the frame of the car and watching as she wrote. Candy finished up her note with a flourish and replaced the card in the envelope. But her pen wavered as she went to write the name of the recipient.

"Duo, how do you spell Quatre's name? K-A--"

That instantly got Duo's attention and he stopped leaning against the car to move closer to her.

"No, no. It's spelled with a Q."

Candy scrunched her nose. "Q? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's Q-U-A..."

Quatre continued to watch the two from the porch as they attempted to spell his name correctly. They were standing so close to each other. Maybe Hilde was right, they were together. Well, if it was love at first sight, who was he to get in the way?

"No! E, E! It ends with an E! Here, let me do it!" Duo was saying as he reached for Candy's pen.

The red haired girl pushed him back with her elbow. "I've got it Duo! You're just messing it up!"

"Wait, let me write something too!"

"No way, this is my card, go get your own!"

"Awe, come on. Just let me put something down real fast. Pleeeease?"

Candy took one look at Duo's pleading expression and caved.

"Oh alright, alright. Here." She folded her arms indignantly as Duo took the pen and started writing on the card that was still sitting in her lap.

"Done," Duo announced with pride.

"Good, because I've go to go now."

Candy snatched up the card and the present and jogged up to the porch where Quatre was still sitting at the table with Hilde.

"Here, happy birthday," she said almost breathlessly as she shoved the two items at the blonde young man. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay longer. Got family things that I need to go to."

Before Quatre could even thank her, Candy was already heading back to her car.

"Have fun," she called over her shoulder and waved.

By now Duo, who was still by the car, had noticed Hilde was sitting with Quatre and wasn't too keen about going up to the house himself.

"Oh shit, she's here," he cursed.

"Duo, please don't swear around me," Candy requested as she shut the passenger side door for him.

The braided pilot gave her an incredulous look. "What?"

"I don't like it when people swear," Candy informed him again.

"What the hell? What kind of sh--"

"Duo," Candy said. "I pretended to be your girlfriend today. The least you could do is show me a little courtesy."

Duo sighed at the look she was giving him. "Fine, fine. But since we're exchanging favors, how about a kiss good-bye."

"What?"

"Come on, Hilde's right over there. She's watching us! If you don't give me a kiss good-bye she'll get suspicious."

Candy clenched her fists and let out a deep breath. "Fine." She quickly kissed him on the cheek, unaware of the two pairs of eyes watching them with surprise.

Duo just grinned. "Now how about the other side?"

Candy smirked and leaned closer to him as if she were whispering sweet words of love in his ear. "Watch it buddy or it's going to be my fist across your face instead."

"Point taken," Duo grinned nervously and then tried to look like he was going to miss her as Candy got into her car and drove away.

Duo continued to stand by the road and watch in the direction she had left for as long as he thought he could get away with it. Finally, Duo sucked it up and readied himself to face his fate. He trudged slowly up the sidewalk towards the Winner mansion. On the patio, Hilde pretended she didn't notice as he walked up the steps. Duo made it until he was almost right behind her before pointing and finger and opening his mouth in question.

"How did you--"

"Trowa," Hilde automatically answered without looking up.

Duo's eyes widened as that was the last thing he expected to hear. But Hilde's answer had also left him speechless so Duo shut his mouth and moved further on towards the house. But as he reached for the doorknob, it turned by itself and the door opened.

"Duo," Trowa said simply.

The long haired young man gave him a dirty look. "And I thought you were on my side," he grumbled before pushing past him and into the house.

Trowa regarded him coolly, however much he understood of Duo's statement never showed on his face. He shut the door behind him and moved quietly to take a seat around the table between Hilde and Quatre. The former smiled at his approach while the later seemed preoccupied with the small package in front of him.

"Open it, Quatre," Hilde urged. "Let's see what you got."

Quatre smiled weakly and carefully removed the colored wrapping to reveal the paper back copy of a book.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?" Hilde read out loud. "Interesting choice." She then noticed the envelope with dark scribbling on it. "Who's...Quarter Winner?" she chuckled as the messy handwriting.

"That must be me," Quatre laughed.

He took the envelope and opened it, reading the message quietly to himself.

_Hi! I didn't know what to really get you so I got a copy of one of my favorite books. I know it's not much but I hope you like it anyway. It's really funny. When I get back I'll take you out to dinner or something to make up for it, okay? Hope you have a happy birthday. _

_Love, _

_Candy_

Quatre paused and mediated on the word "love" in the letter. Why was his stomach starting to do flip-flops at the sight of it? He quickly pushed the feeling away and continued to the smaller note at the bottom.

In different handwriting was written "DUO SEYZ HI!" next to a bulbous cartoon face with familiar braided hair and a Duo-like grin who was flashing the victory sign. Quatre chuckled to himself at the card. This birthday wasn't turning out so bad after all.

* * *

"Hey Wufei," a younger cadet called as he poked his head into the control room. "Some yutz keeps calling in for you. I told him to take a hike but he won't get off the channel. What do you want me to do about it?"

Wufei narrowed his eyes at the young man, wondering what kind of idiot would be so persistent in trying to get a hold of him.

"I'll take care of it," Wufei assured him and the cadet left.

The Chinese pilot took his usual seat at the large communication screen and turned it on. His dark eyes widened at the familiar, yet unexpected face the greeted him. One look at that goofy grin and Wufei instantly settled back into his placid expression.

"Maxwell," he said flatly. "Why should I not be surprised that it's you?"

"Well, it's nice to see you, too Wufei," Duo chirped. "So how's my main man? Been staying out of trouble? Avoided any planetary crisis lately?"

Wufei's eyes held a small hint of amusement. Though he would never admit to himself that he was actually glad to see his old comrade.

"What is it you want Maxwell?"

"I just wanted to see you again," Duo grinned, though his words sounded purposefully false. "Guess where I am right now."

"As long as it's far away from here I really don't care."

"I'm at Quatre's house! You remember Quatre. It's his birthday today you know and I thought it would be so cool if we could all get together to celebrate. Hold on, I'll go get him."

Duo's definition of "getting him" turned out to merely be the act of turning his head and yelling. "QUATRE! COME IN HERE! AND BRING THE CLOWN!" before turning back to the screen and smiling. "He's coming," Duo assured him.

The corner of Wufei's mouth tugged upward slightly as he shook his head.

"Yo! Forehead Boy!"

Both pairs of eyes went straight to the darkhaired girl as she came into the room.

"Sally says she needs to talk to you when your shift is over and--" Felicia paused as she noticed the unfamiliar face on the screen.

She placed a hand on her hip and raised an eye brow as she watched Duo play with the tail end of his braid.

"Woa! Who's the babe!" Duo exclaimed.

"Who's the dude with the hair?"

Wufei hardened his features and turned irritably to the one who was interrupting his conversation.

"Woman! Be gone! This doesn't concern you!"

Felicia raised her hands in mock surrender. "Gone," she announced as she turned and left.

Wufei mumbled something about nosy women as he turned back around and resumed his seat. He arched an eyebrow at Duo who was now giving him a look that he didn't like.

"Wufei, you sly dog," Duo grinned. "I didn't think you had it in ya!"

Wufei flashed Duo a warning look. "Be silent Maxwell, you don't know what you are talking about."

"Duo? What are you doing?" came a softer voice in the background and then a blonde head of hair popped up next to Duo's.

"Wufei?" Quatre asked, his smile growing. "Wufei, is that you?"

The half smile had now returned to the Preventer's face. "Yes, it's me Quatre."

"Pretty cool, huh?" Duo bragged. "I figured since it is Quatre's birthday after all, what better reason for all of us to get together again."

"Yeah," Quatre agreed. "Trowa came over, too." He pulled the taller young man closer so he, too could be seen on screen.

Wufei and Trowa merely nodded to each other in greeting. That's all each of them needed.

"That is all very nice, but we are still one pilot short," Wufei pointed out.

"Yeah," Duo admitted. "It's anyone's guess as to where Heero is right now."

"But Duo's going to go out and try to find him," Quatre added hopefully.

Wufei looked less than convinced. "Maxwell is going to find Heero? Highly unlikely. But if it will keep him out of my hair for another three years I say let him go and try."

"Aww, I didn't know you cared," Duo said, pretending to be touched. "You just don't want me around because I'll take all the woman away from you, stud. Just hold onto your girl or you might loose her to the old Shinigami charm."

Wufei looked heavenward as if asking God why he created such a person.

"Maxwell," he then said to Duo. "Whatever is wrong with you is no little thing. Happy birthday Quatre-san," Wufei added to the blonde young man and then terminated the connection.

Now left alone in the dark, Wufei stopped to ponder what had recently been said. Was Duo serious about going to find Heero? The odds of him succeeding in such a task were tremendous. But by now, even Wufei had learned that no man is ever an island--not even a Gundam Pilot. To run away and be completely alone was not good for anybody and Wufei silently wished Duo luck.

* * *

"...And our security systems never detected him," the man on the screen finished saying.

The dark figure in the large chair gripped his arm rest so tight it started to squeal from the pressure.

"How many of the mobile dolls were destroyed?" his voice was deep as he tried to keep his temper in check.

"We suffered a collective damage of about 78. This guy knew his stuff. It was a professional job."

The man in the darkness took a moment to brood.

"What about the other factory?"

"It remains untouched. We don't think he knows about the other one yet."

"Good, let's keep it that way."

The screen was turned off at the sound of the beep and the dark man in his dark world was left to brood with his dark thoughts.

"It's them, isn't it?" he rasped.

The shapely figure standing beside him moved and the vague light from beyond the room shed some color on her silhouette.

"It couldn't have been anyone else," Dr. Karren replied calmly. "Even after all your preparation they still managed to find the mobile dolls."

"Just like you said they would," the figure of Mr. Underwood spoke darkly.

Dr. Karren allowed herself a small smirk of triumph. "And now that they know about you they're not going to give up until they stop you."

The shadowed man growled darkly in his chair. "Alert all the factories. Tell them to get the rest of the mobile dolls ready. We're going to go ahead and proceed with the first step of the plan."

"But Mr. Underwood," Dr. Karren argued. "Couldn't I take just a little--"

"NO!" Underwood barked as his fist hit the desk. "We are at a very delicate point now. I do not have the time nor the resources to divert over to these half-assed experiments of yours."

Dr. Karren pressed her lips into a firm line as she swallowed the insult dancing on her tongue.

"Yes Mr. Underwood," she replied levelly and obediently moved to comply with her leader's wishes.

"Dr. Karren," Underwood suddenly called to her.

She stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"Yes?"

"What was that...thing, that term you used to call them?"

"Collectively, they were referred to as "Gundam Pilots", sir."

"Gundam Pilots," he repeated. "Well, Gundams no more," he said with almost a chuckle in his voice.

"No sir," the red haired woman answered automatically.

Mr. Underwood turned back to his desk as he dismissed her.

"Gundam Pilots," he repeated to himself in a low tone. "We'll see if you can get the best of me."

* * *

The house was stark still as a lean figure moved deftly through the darkness. None of the sleeping occupants were aroused as the shadowed form slipped soundlessly down the stairs, through the different rooms and to the door. A dark hand reached for the doorknob and carefully, so stealthfully turned it until it clicked.

"Going somewhere?"

The person spun around like a fugitive just caught in a spot light as the light's flicked on.

"Trowa!" Duo shrieked and then quickly quieted himself when he remembered people were still sleeping in the house. "Trowa," he repeated in a harsh whisper. "What are you doing up?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Trowa replied in his usual tone, eyeing the travel bag hanging over Duo's shoulder.

Duo glared at the taller boy. He couldn't ignore the almost accusing look he was getting from Trowa.

"I'm outta here man. I've got stuff I need to do." And with that he turned and reached for the doorknob once again.

But Trowa proved to be faster and put his hand in the way as Duo attempted to open the door.

"Trowa," Duo warned. "Let go of the door before I--"

"It's about Hilde, isn't it?"

Duo was taken off guard from the unexpected question but soon regained his frown.

"That's none of your damn business Barton! Now get the hell out of my way!"

"Duo?"

Both heads turned as another person stepped into the room.

"I didn't think you would stay long," Quatre said almost sadly.

Duo gave him a sideways frown. "Sorry I can't stay Quat. But I figure the sooner I get out there the better chance I have of finding Heero. Besides," he added with a glare aimed at Trowa. "It's getting a bit too crowded here for my liking."

"Then here," Quatre said, thrusting something into his hand. "Take this."

Duo looked down at the wad of money that was just given him. "Oh Quatre, no. I--I can't take this."

"No, keep it Duo. Please, I want to help. And if there's anything else you need just let me know."

Duo sighed as he pocketed the money. He was going to need all the help he could get.

"Thanks Quatre, I owe you one."

The blonde young man only smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You just take care of yourself out there, okay?"

"Okay." Duo turned back towards the door but paused as he and Trowa locked eyes. Duo walked up to the stoic young man and wagged a finger at him. "I don't know what you're doing here with Hilde but you just...better make sure she gets home okay."

And with that, the braided pilot was out the door to begin his own quest where ever it may lead him. Trowa continued to look at the door long after he was gone.

"Trowa," Quatre approached cautiously. "Is something wrong?"

The tall young man turned to face him. It always surprised--even scared Trowa a little at how easily Quatre could read him when no one else could.

"I don't know," Trowa admitted with a shake of his head. He moved off to head back up to his bedroom. "I just don't know."

Quatre watched his friend go sadly. It hurt to see them--all of them like this. He could always sense the moods of the people he was around. Wether it be happiness or inner turmoil. So much hurt and confusion he had felt today with this mix of guests it almost made him dizzy. And what could he do about it? With the last of his guests leaving tomorrow, not much. They would have to figure it all out on their own.

"This certainly has been one heck of a birthday," Quatre said to himself as he turned off the light. One he knew he wouldn't be forgetting any time soon.

"Yeah," he continued almost sadly. "Happy birthday to me."


	7. Chapter 7: Acts of War

Author's Note: I just want to thank everyone who waited so patiently for the next part of this story. This has been the most difficult chapter I have ever written. I was dealing with a HUGE writer's block it seemed. During that long period the letters some of you sent me really helped me out and kept me going and thinking about ideas. Thanks for writing and coming back even though it took me soooo long. Hopefully the next update won't take as long when I release the next three chapters together.

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Seven: Acts of War

_There it was again. The man...the city...the voice...the stairs... She slowly descended them yet again. The door was there, waiting for her. The doorknob, black and dull. It actually felt cold as she reached for it. _

_"Open it..." _

_She turned the doorknob like she had done several times before and slowly it opened..._

Felicia's eyes popped open and she sat up in bed. There it was, the same dream again. Every night it came like clockwork. For more than a month she had experienced it now. That man, with his piercing eyes and mysterious promises. By now she could pick him out of any crowd. And his voice she knew better than anyone else's she had met. But that street, those stairs, that door--she had never seen anything like them before. She wondered if they really existed somewhere or if it was all merely symbolic of something else. She didn't have much time to meditate on it when her bedroom door suddenly opened.

"Ah, you are a wake," Wufei said placidly. "Good thing I will not have to resort to physical violence like the last time."

Felicia smirked at the memory of the last time Wufei attempted to give her an early morning wake up call. That time Felicia adamantly refused to get out of bed and told Wufei to leave her alone. That resulted an all out wrestling match as the Chinese pilot attempted to pull her out the door. Wufei still had a split lip from the experience but it was obvious he was not going to hesitate to try it again.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm up," Felicia mumbled. Dressed in a tank top and sweats she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Good. You have five minutes to get dressed. Sally has ordered us to go into town for supplies."

"Five minutes!" Felicia protested as she stood up. "What about breakfast?"

"Breakfast is for the weak," Wufei curtly informed her.

The dark haired girl just placed her hands on her hips and stared him down.

"Did you have breakfast this morning?"

Wufei gave her a silent glare. "Ten minutes," he announced and then left the room.

Felicia dropped her arms and smiled triumphantly. "Thank you Mr. Logic," she mumbled to herself before setting out to find something to wear.

* * *

The attack came early. His side of the colony hadn't even rotated towards the sun yet when the first explosions shook him from his sleep. Heero reflexively sat up in bed. Those sounds were as familiar as any voices he had ever known. In a blink he was on his feet and staring wide eyed out his window. Light was just barely starting to come over the horizon. 

In the distance the ground rumbled and then he saw them. Rising from the dusk like the demons of destruction they were. Their ebony armor gleamed in the new morning light as smoke ascended and fire burned in their wake. The mobile dolls. They swarmed in droves like angry hornets as they began their onslaught on the helpless colony city.

At first, Heero was too shocked at what his eyes beheld to even move.

"But...I destroyed them all..." he mumbled to himself. "I DESTROYED THEM ALL!"

The second time he screamed it and slammed his fist so hard on the window sill the cheap light fixture on his ceiling shook.

But apparently, however loud it was reiterated, his statement was not true. The mobile dolls were there, they were destroying the city, and the people were in danger. Now was not the time to dwell on mistakes, but to act before the entire colony was lost.

Heero dashed out of his apartment and into the hall. The building as full of scared voices and rushing bodies as everyone hurried to get out. Women and children, elderly couples, people of all sized and backgrounds were forced to flee their homes as the mobile dolls drew closer.

The unfeeling machines were heading straight for the building complex Heero had called home for over a year now. It would be gone before Heero would ever have a chance to retaliate. But nevertheless, the ex-Gundam pilot was going to put up a fight. As the civilians fled to safer ground, Heero dashed into the thick of the fire and rubble towards the remains of a certain factory he knew of.

_There must have been another factory,_ Heero's mind thought as he ran. _But how did I miss it? How could I have possibly missed it? I failed. I failed the mission and I failed the people. But I'm going to stop these mobile dolls, no matter what._

On and on Heero ran, leaving the devastation of the attack momentarily behind him. The old computer hardware factory remained empty and unmolested. No need for the mobile dolls to come where nobody was. Heero pried the front door open. It was the first time he had ever been inside this place without using the ventilation system.

Heero didn't even pause to see if anyone was about as he ran inside and right up to the secret door. He punched in the familiar code and was instantly down in the secret mobile doll assembly plant/storehouse he had totaled the week previous. No one seemed to be around here either. The mess made by the explosion hadn't been touched. And they were smart to have let it be. It would have brought even more suspicion on the factory if they started hauling out totaled mobile suit parts right after the explosion.

There was hardly anything left to be said of the mobile dolls that used to be stored there now. Heero waded through the sea of rubble and charred parts. He searched the place over until he found the mobile doll which seemed to have sustained the least damage. Heero instantly pounced on it and began his attempts to fix the thing. The plan that cooked in his mind wasn't the most fool proof, but it was the only one he could think of. Heero sighed heavily as he continued his lonely task. Luckily, he had plenty of parts to pull it off. It was time that he didn't have much of.

* * *

"Relena! Relena, wake up!" 

The young vice foreign minister was awakened by the gentle tugging on her shoulder. She lazily opened her eyes to see her mother's worried face.

"Mother?" Relena asked tiredly as she sat up in bed. "What's wrong?"

Relena's mother rung her hands in worry. "It's the colonies. Some of them were attacked early this morning."

"WHAT?" Relena jumped out of bed, fully awake now.

"It's all over the news. Several of the colonies were suddenly attacked by armies of mobile dolls. No one knows how they got there. The colonies are all being evacuated."

Just as she had said that, Relena's phone rang.

"Yes?" Relena asked as she picked it up. "Yes, I heard...Okay...I'll be there as soon as I can."

Relena instantly started to get dressed the minute she hung up the phone.

"Relena, I know my flight's leaving today," Mrs. Darlain said. "But would you like me to stay longer? In a time like this I wouldn't want to leave you alone."

Relena paused long enough to smile at her adopted mother. "No, it will be okay. The visit was nice, but you can go home now. I'll be fine, really. I'll call you when you get home, okay?"

"Okay." Mrs. Darlain hugged her daughter before leaving her to get ready.

Relena was dressed and out the door in record time. All the usual delegates were there at the meeting room when Relena barged in.

"Tell me what's going on," she demanded immediately. "What happened?"

One of the older delegates took the initiative to stand up.

"Several of the space colonies all around are being attacked by armies of mobile dolls as we speak. No one knows where they came from or the purpose of the attack. But these cities are being devastated and the people are fleeing from these colonies. The colony leaders are already starting to point fingers at the world nation. They're thinking of this as an act of war!"

"But--but those mobile dolls can't be from Earth, can they?" Relena protested. "What could we ever gain from attacking them?"

"That's what we said," another delegate spoke. "But their philosophy is, if not us, then who else is there to blame?"

"And we've given them every reason to," said a calm voice in the corner.

Relena looked over to see Jason Dawes, the delegate from North America. The man she had met a few weeks previous. The one who, in so many words, accused her of being responsible for the Earth's current state. And who, right now, had everyone's attention.

"The Earth's powers still won't give up their old habits of wanting to control the colonies, so why shouldn't they blame us?" the young man said as he steeled his ice blue eyes on the congregation. "We're the ones who continued to poke our nose where it wasn't needed. We're the ones who blamed them for breaking our agreements for non-militarization. We're the ones who insisted on pushing the colonies into letting us send military watch dogs to their cities. And we are definitely the ones who are making the same mistakes as those before us when we should have known better."

He started drumming his palms on the table in his own little rythem as he continued with a certain know-all smile on his face.

"I just find it funny that we are also the only ones surprised when the main actor of history steps in right on cue. Batta-boom, batta-bing. And there, gentlemen, is your war."

Jason Dawes finished drumming on the table and leaned back in his over plushed chair with an air of finality in his presence.

Relena's eyes widened as she listened. Again, this strange delegate had been the very voice of reason for them. His predictions had been one hundred percent correct. Relena watched the calm young man across from her. Even if he was right, how could he look so satisfied when they were on the brink of war? He was against it, wasn't he? Everything he had ever said was against it. But even though his words more often than not reflected Relena's own views, she couldn't help but feel from his tone that he was somehow making fun of her.

* * *

Hilde ran through the streets of the colony city she knew so well. She ran far and fast. Away from her life long home with only a small satchel of provisions on her back. She would not be returning anytime soon and this sudden urge to leave was not at all her decision. 

The young woman wasn't the only one running. Several of the colony citizens were also fleeing from their homes. Men and women, young and old, families of all sizes--all heading for the same place. All with the same fear and reluctance in their eyes. No one wanted to leave like this. But none of them had any choice.

Upon reaching her destination, Hilde let out the deep breath she had been holding for quite a while. She moved in step with the others like her as they were all herded systematically into shuttles designed specifically for emergency evacuations. And if this wasn't call for an emergency evacuation, Hilde didn't know what one was.

Hilde found a seat on the crowded shuttle. Scared voices and the sounds of children whimpering filled the air. She hugged her small travel bag to her and looked out the window as the shuttle got ready for take off. Out the window she watched as her city, her home, was destroyed by the emotionless army of mobile dolls which peppered the colony with its presence. The ebony giants tramped around their new domain as fires from already demolished buildings licked at the synthetic sky and the entire colony trembled in their wake.

_If only the Gundams hadn't been destroyed,_ Hilde lamented in her mind. _If Duo and Deathscythe were here, they'd show those mobile dolls a thing or two. So would Trowa, and Quatre, and the other two._

But Duo, Gundam or no Gundam, wasn't there. Neither was Trowa or Quatre or anybody. She was all alone and Hilde couldn't stop a tear from sliding down her cheek. The mobile dolls came out of nowhere and started their merciless attack on the city without rhyme or reason. Already she knew this was it. There would be no going back now. There would be nothing worth going back for after the metal monsters were through. And without the Gundams, there was no one in the universe who could stop them.

* * *

"That's the last of it," Felicia announced as she hauled the final supply crate into the back of the truck. 

"Hmm, are you certain?" Wufei asked as he looked the load over.

Felicia put her hands on her hips. "Yes Wufei, this is it. There's no more, understand?"

Wufei was about to reply when two men in Preventers uniforms hastily pulled up in a dusty jeep. The man on the passenger side grabbed hold of the bare frame above him and stood up in his seat.

"Sir, Major Po requests your presence immediately. This is of great military importance."

Wufei instantly stiffened at the words and the tone that was used. He glanced at the dark haired girl near the back of the truck watching curiously. Even though he and Felicia had become acquaintances during the time they've known each other, he still didn't know exactly who she was. Therefore, he certainly didn't trust her with any of the military information these two men might tell him.

"Felicia," he called out. "Go back in and make sure all the supplies are loaded."

"But I told you, all the--"

"I said go!" Wufei shot back.

Felicia glared momentarily. Then she let out a deep, long breath and marched indignantly back into the store.

"Now," Wufei said, turning back to the two Preventers. "Tell me what's going on."

"The colonies have been attacked by armies of mobile dolls," the standing officer exclaimed. "It's an act of war! And they're blaming it all on us!"

Wufei's dark eyes went wide in shock, then narrowed in fierce determination. "Tell me what you know," he said evenly.

* * *

Felicia grumbled as she moved moodily into the store. He never believed anything she said. Not that she could blame him. It's not like she had really been that straight up with him anyway. She practically told him to his face she had secrets she wasn't going to share and now she was paying the consequences for it. But couldn't he, just once, give her the benefit of a doubt? Especially about something like this. It wasn't like it was easy to miss an entire supply crate.

Felicia stalked back outside, but paused in the doorway when she saw that the two men were still talking to Wufei. And they were discussing something quite serious from the looks of it. Felicia decided she would best keep Wufei off her case if she just let them talk.

"You were a hard person to track down, you know," came a male voice from behind her.

Felicia whirled around to the alley next to her. A figure shifted in the shadows.

"Yeah?" she asked defiantly. "And who's been looking for me?"

The figure stepped into the light. He was a short man, slightly hunched and aging. His long grey hair was cut straight around the circumference of his face. His eyes were dead and emotionless, like his voice. An ugly scar ran down the side of his face and his long, pointed nose stuck out far past his hairline.

"Far more people than you think," the strange man replied calmly. "You must come with me. Now."

Felicia wasn't convinced. "Why should I?"

"Have you forgotten why you were sent here?" the old man continued, still void of expression. "Those idiots said your memory loss would only be temporary. The Earth and colonies are on the verge of another war. We brought you here for a reason."

"Wait a minute," Felicia interrupted. "You wouldn't happen to be that clown, Professor G, now would you?"

"I am he."

"Well why didn't you say so? I was wondering when you bastards would show up. I've been trying to figure out where you wanted me for the past month."

The old man, for the most part, ignored the blatant insults. He suspected as much from this one.

"So come then," Professor G stated. "We'll be on our way."

"Yeah, sure thing. Just hold on a second," Felicia said as she jogged back for the truck.

Meanwhile, Wufei had just been told the whole story and was itching to take action.

"Wufei," Felicia called as she ran up to him.

Wufei turned to face her and Felicia gasped when her grabbed her upper arms and looked into her eyes.

"The colonies were attacked," he told her.

"Wufei, listen," Felicia insisted. "I have to go--"

"Yes," Wufei instantly replied. "This is very important. This might turn into a war."

"Wufei..."

"I want you to take the truck back to Sally's place until one of us comes to get you, okay?"

"But Wufei..."

"I must go."

And with that, Wufei hopped into the jeep with the other two officers and sped away. Felicia slumped her shoulders as she watched them go. She knew if a war did break out the Preventers would be at the front lines for the battle.

"Stay safe, Wufei," she whispered, then turned around to the aged scientist. "Let's go."

Professor G nodded and the two melted into the shadows of the alley way without looking back.

* * *

Relena walked out of the conference room with an even deeper feeling of dread in her heart. For hours she and delegates from all over the globe had discussed the matter at hand and what should be done about it. Many different views were offered and argued over. In the end, the only thing that could be decided on was to gather the Preventers forces and have them ready for whatever comes their way and at the same time, the collective Earth powers will be making a statement denying any involvement with the earlier attack on the colonies. 

The young foreign minister was almost on the verge of tears from her depression. No matter what she did or how hard she worked for peace, it never stayed long. Fate seemed to be laughing at her at every turn. What was she doing wrong? Or was it the mere act of going against human instincts to fight that was her transgression?

"Miss Relena?" a familiar voice called out to her.

Relena turned around and was surprised to see who had addressed her.

"Dorothy? Dorothy Catalonia?"

"Yes Miss Relena, it's me."

The tall blonde walked up to her, hands clasped in front of her. She looked the same as Relena remembered, save for the lack of the usual school uniform as Dorothy was now clad in a sharp, dark blue business jacket and skirt.

"It's been a long time," Dorothy continued. The same slightly mocking tone in her voice was still there, to Relena's annoyance. "How have you been Miss Relena? Still continuing your valiant crusade to save all man kind from the ravishes of war?"

Relena pursed her lips, but kept a placid outward appearance. "Have you come to make fun of my ideals some more Dorothy?"

At that accusation, the small smirk instantly disappeared from Dorothy's face.

"No," she said, lowering her head slightly.

Her long, pale hair swished as she moved to the large window overlooking the city.

"You may not think so, but I have changed my views greatly since last we've met. I do not like war. To be honest, I never really did. But I will not deny that I still find a certain beauty about the battle. Mr. Trieze opened my eyes and showed me there is beauty in all things. I honor his memory by continuing to believe in what he told me.

"Wars can bring out strength where there wasn't thought to be any. It forces people to their limits and there is nothing so beautiful as a soldier giving it everything he's got for what he believes in. War makes way for new beginnings; a chance for something to be made greater than before. But it can also be cruel and devastating."

Dorothy cast a side long glance at Relena's patient, yet still mildly surprised expression.

"But me changing my mind about war will not stop this one from coming." Dorothy pressed her smooth, pale fingers to the glass, as if trying to touch the buildings beyond the window. "But someone out there wants it to happen and it looks like they're going to get it."

There was a small span of silence afterward. Needless to say, Relena was taken a bit off guard by Dorothy's little speech. This definitely wasn't the same young woman she had argued with at her school, or even on Libra those few, yet seemingly very long years ago.

"Why are you here now Dorothy?" Relena then asked. "Have you suddenly taken a passion for politics?"

Dorothy chuckled. "No, I'm just waiting for someone."

"Do you mind if I ask who?"

"Not at all. I'm waiting for Mr. Jason Dawes. I believe you've met him. He's mentioned you once or twice."

Relena took a step back. Now that really threw her off guard.

"You're...with him?" she managed to ask.

Dorothy nodded with a smile. "You find that hard to believe?"

Relena blinked. "He kept saying there was going to be a war. I knew he was right. We were going to have one if we continued what we were doing. But I never thought it would come this soon. And now that war is almost upon us, he doesn't do a thing." Relena clenched her fists as her anger slowly started to rise. "In fact, as I recall, he didn't say a thing to help our current situation in there today. All he did was remind us that he was right and then sit back and look smug about it. What is he trying to accomplish?"

Dorothy just smiled--the same one she used to use on Relena's younger self back at the school.

"I told you, war is a chance to start anew. Mr. Dawes is a brilliant visionary. Personally, I don't think there was anything he could have said in that conference that would have made any difference. But you'll see, he and those like him are the leaders of our future. They will carry us through these times and create a better world for us all. And who knows, perhaps when this is all over, even the concept of total pacifism will no longer need to be taught and you will be out of a job."

Relena narrowed her eyes at the taller woman. She did not appreciate that statement one bit.

_And speak of the devil..._ Relena thought as a certain dark haired, blue eyed man approached.

"Ah, you're here," Jason said as he stopped next to Dorothy. "Did you have to wait long?"

"No," Dorothy assured him. "I was chatting with my old...acquaintance."

Jason looked to Relena and nodded before offering Dorothy his arm.

"Shall we go then?"

"Yes."

Relena watched the couple go arm in arm and clenched her fists. Again she was beginning to doubt her own views and decisions. How do those two make her convictions crumble so easily? Well, they were perfect for each other, she had to give them that. Relena sighed as she turned the other way. What she wouldn't give for a companion of her own to help give her confidence and see her through such trying times of these. If only.

* * *

Sweat poured freely down Heero's face as he continued with his task. The mobile doll had suffered from more damage than he had first expected and repairing the thing was taking far longer than he would have liked. It was the second time in his life he had cursed the success of his mission--the first time being the incident when he had assassinated Marshal Noventa and the rest of those pacifists. 

But now was not the time to dwell on past failures. He had wasted enough time beneath the remains of the assembly plant already. There would be nothing left of his colony city to fight for when he was done. But Heero still wasn't going to give up. If nothing else, the ex-Gundam pilot was going to send a message to whoever was behind this. The colonies were his territory and Heero Yuy wasn't about to let them get away with it.

From above, Heero could hear the approaching mobile dolls. They had completely wrecked the city so now they were moving on for the group of factories at the edge of town. Heero's pace was turning frantic as he fought to start the mobile doll's engine.

"Come on your piece of junk," Heero hissed at the thing as he continued to weld wires together. "Start, you damned machine!"

Heero jumped back as the engines suddenly roared to life. The mobile doll hummed and vibrated as energy flowed through it. Heero allowed himself only a minute of grateful silence before getting back to the task at hand. He jumped on top of the massive object and ran along it to the open cockpit.

These type of mobile dolls were a slight variation from the original ones created by OZ. They weren't necessarily built to house a human pilot inside of them. But with a little tweaking and some rearranging, Heero had made room. He squeezed into the tiny space made for himself and shut the cockpit door behind him. The odd looking controls at his fingertips were hasty and primitive. But as long as his new mobile suit could fly and shoot, Heero didn't care.

The young man grunted as he worked the suit's stiff arm controls. The biggest challenge would be getting this bucket back on its feet again. Heero put all his weight and strength into getting those arms to move they way he wanted. How he missed his Gundam, now more than ever. He let out a heavy breath as he was finally able to maneuver the machine into a standing position.

_Now,_ Heero thought. _It's my turn,_

With the flick of a switch, the thrusters ignited and Heero held tight as he and his suit were propelled upward through the floor of the factory above them and finally into the sky over the colony city.

The army of enemy mobiles weren't as close as Heero originally thought. With a thrust of the controls, he made a beeline straight for them. The AI mobile dolls paid the approaching form no heed as Heero knew they would. They were programed to attack the city and the city only. But all that was about to change.

The moment he was in firing range Heero let loose a barrage on the enemies. The first mobile dolls to take a hit didn't even retaliate and merely fell over as their systems failed. Those further away looked up--almost in surprise--at their new flying enemy. The bright yellow lights on the front of the machines flickered as their programing kicked in and their new target was set.

Almost simultaneously, Heero found himself surrounded by the remaining mobile dolls. He took a few more quick shots at them before abandoning the doomed mobile suit. He jumped from the cockpit and released his parachute. The shrapnel from the newly eliminated mobile doll rained down on him from above, cutting up his body and his parachute. The young man landed rather roughly on the city street and instantly discarded his torn pack and looked to the sky.

With their immediate enemy gone, the remaining mobile dolls looked at each other--and opened fire. Heero allowed himself a small triumphant smile as the enemy shot each other out of the sky. His theory had been correct. Anything that attacks a mobile doll suddenly becomes the new target. No matter what it was. Artificial pilots could never--will never--beat the real thing.

Heero's triumph was short lived as flaming mobile doll parts began raining over him from above. The young man instantly started seeking shelter from the falling hazards. Large pieces of shrapnel were falling all over the place and demolishing the city even more. Heero dove out of the way as a large piece rocketed toward him. He narrowly escaped being squashed by it. Perhaps his idea wasn't such a great one after all.

A high, terrified scream from a nearby building caught Heero's ears and he instantly changed his course. The building was already half destroyed and the rest looked like it would crumble any second. The headstrong young man ran inside it nonetheless.

"Who's in here?" he called in the doorway.

"Help me!" came a scared, child's voice.

Heero followed the source and came upon a very dirty and very frightened little boy. He couldn't have been older than seven or eight. His clothes were torn and bloodied though the boy didn't appear to be suffering from any major injuries.

"What are you doing here?" Heero demanded.

"Help my mom and dad!" the boy pleaded. "They're hurt!"

Heero allowed the boy to grab his arm and pull him into the building. He was led to the side of the structure that had been totally demolished. The ceiling was gone, leaving a clear view of the sky. On the floor was a pile of heavy beams and plaster and beneath that lay two lifeless, bloodied bodies. Heero didn't need a second opinion to realize they were both dead.

"Help them. We have to get them out of here," the boy pleaded.

Heero couldn't answer. He was too busy noticing the mobile doll aiming straight at them. Lighting fast, he grabbed the kid under one arm and booked it out the building. The explosion that followed was powerful enough to knock him off his feet and Heero was painfully aware of the heat at his back as he flew through the air. He pulled the boy to his body as he hit the ground and both of them rolled several more feet.

By now the last two mobile dolls had shot each other out of the sky and the colony's immediate threat was finally gone. But the little boy didn't notice this as he pulled himself to his feet and stared wide eyed at the burning building. His little fists clenched as tears spilled down his cheeks.

"This is your fault!" he accused the moaning Heero who was still laying on the ground. "You didn't save my mom and dad!"

Before Heero knew it, the small body was on top of him, pounding his chest with little angry fists.

"I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" the boy screamed over and over until he suddenly went limp and crumpled lifelessly on top of the larger young man.

Heero examined the boy. He didn't look too hurt. Must have fainted from exhaustion and shock. With a heavy sigh, Heero picked up the body. He paused once to look at the sky and hope that whoever started this had seen what he had done. Then he turned on his heel and started back for home.


	8. Chapter 8: The Betrayed and Outraged

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Eight: The Betrayed and Outraged

"Damnit!"

A dark fist collided fiercely with the desk.

"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!"

Dr. Karren didn't even flinch at the display and continued to stand emotionlessly through the ranting and cursing. The shadowed figure of Mr. Underwood took a moment to compose himself and assess the situation.

"You're sure all the mobile dolls on that colony were destroyed," he said.

"Yes," Dr. Karren replied, brushing a red curl from her face. "Every mobile doll there is non-operational. It will be no time at all before the citizens start taking back the colony."

Mr. Underwood let out a heavy breath and settled himself into his chair.

"Are you sure it was one of those pilots?" he asked.

"It has to be," Dr. Karren replied. "He knew about the mobile dolls' automatic targeting system. They were destroyed because he somehow triggered the system and got the mobile dolls to attack each other."

"Clever," Mr. Underwood mumbled to himself; and then said louder. "Are you sure our more...upgraded models don't have the same drawbacks?"

"Yes, we got our AI technology from the former OZ files. They will far surpass that of the mobile dolls we have now. And when the Earth sees these, they'll be too afraid of them to give us much resistance."

"You have far too much confidence in your plans," the shadowed figure informed her. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's to always count on resistance." He paused a moment in thought. "Dr. Karren."

"Yes sir?"

"Even without their infamous Gundams those pilots are already starting to get under my skin. I want you to find that pilot and make sure he doesn't interfere any further."

Dr. Karen tried hard to hide the smile of satisfaction that was forcing its way on her face. "Yes sir."

The shapely, red-haired woman turned on her heels and marched out of the darkened room. Once in the light of the hall, she made her way to her own office and sat down at her desk. Only then did she let her mouth twist into a smirk as she fingered through five separate files on her desk. The tab of each file had a name on it. Heero Yuy. Duo Maxwell. Trowa Barton. Quatre Winner. Chang Wufei.

Dr. Karren pulled her hair out of its tight bun and let the river of fiery curls flow down her back. Mr. Underwood didn't realize just how much she knew about these Gundam pilots. He also had no idea what she was really after. She had sent agents out to that colony long before he gave her orders to do so. She was going to get what she was looking for and not even he was going to stop her.

The dark eyed woman opened the first file and tapped at the picture of a young, emotionless man with blue eyes and unruly moss brown hair.

"I've got you now," she whispered to the picture. "You're mine."

* * *

The darkness and the lateness of the hour didn't bother Felicia much. She flourished in such conditions. Even chilly winds or rain could be tolerable. But when putting those things all together and then having to walk through it in merely Preventers issue pants and a T-shirt did not make Felicia a happy camper.

Since her rendezvous with this strange Professor G, they had been traveling nonstop to heaven knows where. They went from bus to train, from cab to plane--all for the sake of making their trail harder to follow. Felicia didn't know to whom they were trying to stay invisible and she didn't want to know. All she wanted now was a warm cup of hot chocolate and a soft bed as the two travelers trudged endlessly through the darkness, rain and wind.

At least that stupid professor, or whatever he was had a heavy coat. Felicia didn't have much at all. The old man didn't seem to care. But then again, Felicia didn't expect him to. They had marched endlessly from one end of the darkened city to the other. The drenched, dark-haired girl was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to get there.

Suddenly, Felicia stopped as the oddest feeling of deja vu hit her. For the last half hour she hadn't even bothered to look at the streets and buildings as she passed them. But at that moment, something made her lift her head and look around. Through the pouring rain she could see it in the vague glow of an old street light.

She couldn't believe it at first, but there it was. The same place from her dreams. It was real! The same building with the same dark alley. Felicia changed her direction and stepped toward it. There, in the shadows, would she find the same door that would finally answer all her questions? Would she at last be able to open it?

"What are you doing?" a sharp voice pierced her thoughts. "We're almost there. Now quit dawdling and come this way."

Felicia swallowed the urge to ignore the scientist and instead, moved to obey. Along the way she took note of the street signs and promised herself she would be back to this place when she could.

Their journey didn't last long. Professor G suddenly stopped on a street corner. Felicia looked at him quizzically, but never said a word as she shivered in the rain. A few minutes went by before a dark car pulled out of the night and up to them. Wordlessly, the aged man got in the front passenger seat. Felicia was left to climb in the back. The car started off again to destinations unknown.

"I take it the trip was successful," spoke the driver of the car in that same single tone voice Professor G always used.

The driver was a much larger man than the professor and minus any hair. Felicia could only see a small portion of his face in the rear view mirror, but he had the same presence about him.

"Yes," Professor G then replied. "I doubt anyone has a clue to what we are doing yet."

_That includes me, too,_ Felicia thought to herself as she watched the wet, dark world pass by out the window.

In the moment of silence that passed, Felicia asked herself what she was doing with these strange men. She really had no idea what they were up to--though she had an inkling as to who they were. She knew they would be able to use her in whatever they were planning and it had been her in the first place that let them find her. In all reality, they would have never gotten her this far if she hadn't wanted to go. What it all boiled down to was the fact that they knew information she wanted. They knew how to find what she was looking for. Felicia also knew that if she stayed with them long enough, eventually she, too would know.

The car stopped and the two men got out. Felicia opened her own door and slipped out into the pouring rain once more. Before her was a large, warehouse-like building. No windows and no door that was visible to the naked eye.

"Welcome to your new home," Professor G informed her.

Felicia stared dubiously at the great grey building.

"Whoopee..."

* * *

Relena paced back and forth behind the curtain. Only a few more minutes until the release of the official statement to the colonies denying Earth's involvement with yesterday's attack. Relena's military adviser, Commander Girmaud, would be giving it. Relena could have stated it herself if she wanted to, but she just didn't have the heart for it. No matter what was said today, Relena knew there would be confrontation. There was no way to get out of it. The future was taking a turn for the worst and she was powerless to stop it.

On the other side, Relena heard the press suddenly get quiet and the sound of flashing cameras begin. Commander Girmaud must be moving to the stand. Relena carefully slipped out from behind the curtain and watched at a distance as the commander read the statement given him for all the universe to hear.

* * *

Quatre slowly sipped the rim of his tea cup as he watched the television. He saw the Cinq Kingdom's military adviser as he read from the paper in his hands. But Quatre didn't need to hear the statement to know that the Earth's powers didn't have any connection with yesterday's attack. The mobile dolls still occupied many of the abandoned colonies, though whoever had sent the mobile dolls in the first place still had yet to show themselves. They weren't just trying to take over the colonies, they clearly wanted the people gone from them as well. Why?

The blonde young man noticed the figure caught by the camera standing at the edge of the screen. Relena. Quatre's heart went out to her. She was probably taking this rough. He would have to find some time to go to Earth and visit her. She looked like she needed a friend.

* * *

Heero watched the cracked TV screen with little interest. He didn't care what Earth had to say. Anything they did now couldn't change what was already done. Oh, they would try. Of course they would do anything to stop the confrontation. But there was someone working against them. Someone with a lot of power who wanted this war badly. The only question that remained now was why.

Heero's attention was drawn away from his thoughts when he heard a small whimper. Next to where he was sitting was the young boy Heero had encountered the night before. He had brought the child back to his apartment which was quite a mess now but still, surprisingly, in one piece. Heero had immediately put the kid to bed and did his best to clean the poor boy's cuts and burns with what he had.

The young boy had been sleeping peacefully ever since he had been put to bed. Only now was he starting to toss and whimper a little bit in his sleep. Heero watched him carefully for a few moments. He seemed to be having some sort of bad dream. Heero easily guessed what it was he was possibly dreaming about. He considered waking the child when another series of whimpers escaped his lips and Heero was thrust into another flashback...

_"That boy is too soft, you need to do something about him or he'll ruin everything." _

_"Just give him more time. I can train him so he'll do anything he's told." _

_The was Dr. J talking. The young boy watched secretly from around the corner as his guardian continued to argue with a man in uniform. He was one of Dekim Barton's men. Concerned about his leader's precious project. "Operation: Meteor" it had been called. Heero knew all about what it was. A horrible plan in which a colony, when orbiting at just the right time, could be set flying to the Earth, creating mass hysteria and killing countless people. _

_Yes, Heero know all about it. He may have been young, only ten years old, but he was not stupid. He knew that it was wrong. He knew Dr. J knew it too. His guardian and teacher would never go along with it, no matter how much he said he was loyal to the cause. Dr. J never failed to disappoint him. He had another idea up his sleeve. _

_"You see that you do that," the officer continued to demand. "Because if Commander Barton does not see your pilot fit, he will appoint someone else in charge of this operation." _

_Heero scowled from his hiding place as the officer turned on his heel and left. He was a bit surprised when Dr. J turned and looked right at him. He apparently knew he had been listening. The scientist gazed down at the boy. Heero didn't have a name back then. He was just a number, a nobody. _

_"It looks you're going to have to try harder," Dr. J said coldly. "You disappoint me. I'm beginning to think you'll never be good enough." _

_The boy looked back, eyes wide with surprise and hurt. Just the other day Dr. J had told him how well he was doing; that his skills were unlike anything he had ever seen before. Now this? Why? _

_"If you're ever going to make it," the scientist went on. "You're going to have to be stronger, harder. And don't give me that look. That's one of the reasons you'll never succeed. You can never let the enemy know what you're thinking. It gives them the advantage. Now go. We'll start your new training tomorrow." _

_The young boy watched Dr. J go. The look of disbelief was still on his face. His small fists clenched at his sides as he growled in frustration. _

_It wasn't fair! He had given it everything he had to please the old scientist. He did everything he was told; all he was asked. But that wasn't enough to make him happy. He had to give up not only his strength, his mind and his time, he had to give up his life and his soul as well. He had to give up who he was--his humanity. Nothing less would ever be accepted. _

_The boy suddenly turned and ran the other way. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't do what they were asking. As hard has he tried to quell the emotions, they always surfaced. They always got in the way. He had done everything in his power to hide what he was feeling, but it never worked. He would never be able to live up to his mentor's expectations. _

_The young boy ran down the halls until he reached a dead end. Tears were streaming down his face now. Another show of emotion he was unable to stop. It just made him madder and more frustrated. He punched the wall in irritation and slid to his knees, sobbing and pounding on the floor. He was only a kid. How could they expect him to do it all? He had nothing left to give. _

_"I told you," a quiet voice came from the shadows. _

_Heero wiped his eyes hastily and looked behind him. The silhouette of a small girl stood in the darkness. _

_"I told you that you wouldn't be able to hide your emotions forever," the girl's voice continued. "As much as you try to bottle up your feelings inside you, you can't keep them there. They have to come out eventually." _

_The young boy just hung his head and clenched his teeth. "I have to! I have to do it!" he cried as he pounded his fist on the hard metal floor. "I can't let anyone else be better than me! I have to be the best!" _

_There was a span of silence. _

_"Then...I'll help you." _

_Heero didn't reply to such a ridiculous response. All he did was continue to stare darkly at the floor. Her? Help him? How? She didn't understand what he went through. He never saw her going through such grueling training as he. All Dr. J ever had her do was sit in her bunker and read stacks of books. How could she possibly even begin to help him? _

_The boy tightened when he felt small, gentle arms suddenly circle around him. Such physical displays of affection were foreign to him. It felt strange and yet, good. In the girl's arms he almost felt...safe? _

_"I'll do it," the girl announced. "I'll take your emotions. Give them to me. I'll feel them for you so you don't have to. When you get mad or scared, give it to me so you can keep Dr. J and the others happy." _

_Heero felt her soft sleeve brush against his face to dry his tears, but he still couldn't bear to look the girl in the face. _

_"I'll always know how you're feeling where ever you are. And no one will know but me. And when you feel like crying, I'll know that, too, because I'll cry for you." _

_The boy only nodded dumbly. He never understood fully at what she meant by that or how she was going to do it. All he knew was the next morning the girl was gone--disappeared without a trace. Dr. J would never say anything about it when he was asked. But from then on, Heero had no problem keeping his face a mask void of all emotion. But only now did he remember that long ago promise. _

_"...I'll cry for you..." _

Heero was once again snatched back by reality when he heard a startled cry. He looked down at the bed to see the young boy was now awake and staring at him with eyes as big as saucers. Before Heero could say anything, the boy drew a deep breath and screamed.

"MOMMY!"

* * *

Lucretia Noin looked up from where she was attempting to repair one of the downed Mars explorer vehicles when she heard the oddest sound. Someone was whistling some happy little tune. Upon further investigation, Lucretia discovered it was coming from...Millardo? He was dressed in the same blue mechanics suit she was. His long hair was pulled back in a pony tail and a faded blue cap adorned his head.

The blonde pilot's pace was brisk as he strolled up to the tool box next to her and merrily started digging through it.

"Well, someone's in a good mood today," Lucretia commented as she stood. "What's the occasion?"

Millardo pulled out the ratchet he was looking for and waved it animatedly as he spoke.

"Lucretia, I have come to a decision," he told her.

"Really," she replied, folding her arms and leaning against the machine she was repairing. "And just what is that exactly?"

"I have decided that I will be through here one month from today."

Lucretia laughed right out.

"One month? At the rate we're going? Right now I'd say only about seventy percent of our equipment is in full working order. Probably less before the day is over. There's no way we're going to be done with this project within one month."

"I don't care," Millardo responded whimsically. He twirled the ratchet in the air and caught it neatly. "One month Lucretia. Then, I'm going home. I think it's about time I went to see my sister."

Lucretia smiled at him. "Would you mind if I tagged along?"

"You're welcome to come if you'd like."

"Did I hear correctly?" an older man with brown hair and brown eyes asked as he walked around the large explorer vehicle over to them. "Are my two best recruits planning on deserting me?"

Millardo smiled good naturedly at the man he had been working with for nearly two and a half years now. Benson Hues was his name. He had been working as head mechanical engineer since his arrival on Mars. Both Millardo and Lucretia had been able to work closely with the much knowlegable engineer and had come to know him not only as a co-worker, but also as a friend.

"I'm afraid so," Millardo confirmed. "I think it's about time I took a break and checked up on what's going on back home. You got us for another month and then we're taking a vacation for a few weeks."

"Well, I'll tell you right now, I'll hate to see you go. Especially since we're now closer than we've ever been to getting this thing over with," Hues replied, touching the smooth, shiny surface of the explorer vehicle.

"Don't worry, we'll be back," Lucretia assured him with a smile. "We're not going to abandon you forever. We've worked on this project too hard not to see it through."

Mr. Hues looked relieved at that. He was about to say something when one of the other workers cut him off.

"Hey guys, check out what we picked up on the toob!"

Hailing to the call, the three walked over to where a few of their co-workers were huddled around a small, staticy tv. One of them was meddling with the antenna as he tried to get a better picture. But at their current location, it was quite difficult.

"What is it?" Millardo wanted to know.

"Apparently, some of the colonies were attacked yesterday by an army of mobile dolls," another worker replied. "No one knows where they came from or why, but Earth's getting blamed for it."

"What!" the two pilots exclaimed at the same time.

"Yeah," the worker continued. "Earth's releasing a statement denying their involvement with the attack right now. What a place, huh? We're always the last one to know everything--even the beginning of another war."

Millardo and Lucretia instantly gave the tv their full attention. Neither one of them noticed when Mr. Hues' face went pale at the news. His posture turned frantic as he dashed for the nearest phone. But even that was not enough to gain anyone else's attention.

Millardo was riveted to the screen as Commander Girmaud of the Cinq Kingdom read his written speech. In the corner, Relena's regretful form could be seen and the pilot's heart went out to his younger sister. She always tried so hard. The painfully hard grip on his arm was the only thing that managed to tear his eyes away from the tv.

"Zechs," Lucretia breathed, not realizing she used his other alias. "That--that's not Commander Girmaud."

Millardo gave her a confused look. "What do you mean? It says right at the bottom of the screen it's him."

"No. I mean, it looks like him and it sounds like him. But that is not the man I hired before we left."

Millardo turned and grabbed her shoulders. "Lucretia, are you positive?"

"Yes. I knew Commander Girmaud, and that isn't him."

Millardo's blood ran cold. There was an imposter down there running the Cinq Kingdom--and the bastard was also there with his sister.

"Start packing," he announced as he stood. "We're leaving for Earth right away."

"Sorry friend, not this time," a calm, cold voice said behind him.

Before Millardo could react, he felt something sharp pierce the back of his neck. Almost instantly, he felt his body crumple beneath him. Millardo fought valiantly to get back up but all his energy was gone. His body felt numb, he couldn't feel his limbs let alone control them. Gazing to the side, he found his beloved Lucretia already passed out on the floor. All the other workers were just standing around, watching. Why wouldn't they do anything? Why wouldn't they help?

The last thing Millardo saw was his friend Mr. Hues standing over him. But now he didn't look the same. His face had gone cold and emotionless as he watched the blonde pilot struggle during his last seconds of consciousness. In his hand was an empty syringe.

With his last ounce of strength and control, Millardo managed to grab his pant leg weakly.

"Hues, I'll get y..."

Those were the last words Millardo Peacecraft was able to speak. One last promise before his world went black and his head fell lifelessly to the floor.

* * *

Heero was at a loss at what to do. One minute, he was lost in memories of the past. The next minute he was back in his dumpy old room with a little boy screaming bloody murder at him. Heero reached out to the child to assure him he wasn't an enemy. This only caused the boy to scream louder and hide under the covers.

He continued to scream beneath the blanket for another minute or so. Then the cries began to die down to small whimpers. For nearly ten minutes afterward, the little body remained silent under the covers. Bright, curious brown eyes finally peeked out to see if there was still anything around to be afraid of.

Heero remained where he had been waiting the whole time; with arms crossed, leaning against the window frame. The boy watched him for a while and then with a sniff, uncovered his head and stared at the young man.

"You, you were there last night," he said quietly.

"Hn," Heero nodded.

The boy climbed out further from the blankets.

"You took me from my mom and dad," he said quietly.

"You realize that I could not have saved your parents," Heero said evenly. "They were dead before I got there."

A bit harsh thing to say, perhaps, to a ten year old. But the boy took the statement with little response. He merely sniffed and rubbed his eye.

"I know," he finally said.

"Good," Heero said as he moved away from the wall and started on his way across the room. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

"Yeah," the boy said as his face brightened.

"Come with me," Heero motioned the boy to follow and led him into the apartment's tiny kitchen.

The young lad eagerly hopped up on the nearest stool and started swinging his legs behind the counter. Heero retrieved a bowl, spoon, and a box of cornflakes from the cupboards and drawers and plopped them down in front of the kid.

"Here," he said. "I don't have much else to eat here."

But the boy seemed more than happy with what he had and began pouring himself some cereal. Heero moved to the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk. He opened it and took a precautionary sniff. It smelled okay. Heero was usually pretty good about keeping the contents of his refrigerator fresh.

"What's your name?" the boy asked when Heero handed him the milk.

Heero paused at the question. While working in the colonies he had to use a number of different aliases because his original code name was still too well known by the older population. But this was just a child. Heero didn't think it would matter here.

"Heero," he responded simply.

"I'm Kade Carver," the boy replied right back. "I just turned ten last month. I know I don't look ten. People are always telling me I look young for my age. My mom says the doctors said I was... "failure to thrive" whatever that means. My grandma says it runs in the family. Uncle Jack was like that, but then he hit puberty and sprouted up like a weed, my grandma says. She says that I'm a lot like Uncle Jack. But I don't want to have a boyfriend like Uncle Jack has. Do you think boys should live together like that Mister Heero?"

Heero leaned an arm against the counter and slowly lowered his face to meet Kade's. The boy stayed silent as Heero delivered his patented Death Glare to him.

"Eat. Your. Cornflakes."

Kade shoved another spoonful into his mouth and chewed obediently. Heero let out a deep breath and moved away. He wasn't accustomed to such constant chatter. It made him feel uneasy. The young pilot moved over to the window and peered out through the dusty glass.

Kade watched him as Heero brooded at the other side of the kitchen.

"Mister Heero?" he asked quietly. When it was ignored he asked again. "Mister Heero?"

Heero inwardly rolled his eyes at being called "Mister" but responded nonetheless.

"What is it?"

"Where am I going to go now?"

Heero looked over to see sincere worry in his big, brown eyes. He was quite smart for his age, Heero had to give him that. Already he was wanting to know what he was expected to do now that his parents were gone.

"When people see that the mobile dolls are gone they'll start coming back to the colony," Heero explained. "When transportation is opened up we'll get out of this place and try to locate a member of your family. Until then, you're staying with me."

* * *

After a few hours sleep, a shower and a warm meal, Felicia stepped into the large room she had been beckoned to. Now clean and warm and dressed, she was ready to see what exactly was waiting in store for her. She found the two old men--Professor G and the taller bald man she now knew as Master O, standing next to a large curious contraption.

"It's about time you got here," Professor G berated. "We don't have all month you know. The war could break out any day now."

Felicia let out a heavy breath. "Yeah, yeah. Just tell me what you want me to do and let's get this over with."

"Fine by be," the short, older man replied. "Get into the similation chamber. We're going to see how well you can pilot a mobile suit."

"Wait a minute," Felicia argued. "I told you guys before we started this--I am not a pilot. I never was. There's no way I'm going to be able to fly that thing, even if it is just a simulation."

The two scientists looked at each other, but seemed unfazed. Professor G addressed her again.

"We're well aware of your limits. But we think we have developed a system that will dramatically increase anyone's piloting abilities after only one trial. So step inside so we can give it a try."

"Oh, alright," Felicia relented. "Let's get this over with."

She walked over to the contraption and climbed into the fake cockpit. It was an odd feeling being in there. She had never been in anything so tight and with so many buttons. There was a helmet sitting on the control panel. She found out it was connected to several different wires which snaked out from the main computer in front of her. Felicia put on the helmet and snapped on her harness.

"Ready," she announced.

The scientists nodded and closed the cockpit door, leaving the girl in momentary darkness.

"I can't believe I went all this way just to play some stupid video game," Felicia muttered to herself.

She gripped the control sticks to either side of her as the cockpit lights flashed on and the contraption rumbled to life. The screen in front of her switched on and Felicia was treated to a view of a large, open field with a cloudless sky above and mountains and hills in the distance.

"What do they want me to do here?" Felicia asked out loud. "Pick daisies and sing selections from ?The Sound of Music'?"

All of a sudden, the chamber shook as if something had just collided with it.

"What the--"

Felicia pulled back the controls and whirled around to see several mobile suits on screen firing at her. She clenched her teeth as she felt another hit from the enemies. What was she supposed to do? Especially since she had never been inside a mobile suit cockpit in her life.

"This is just great," Felicia growled as she took yet another hit.

She began fiddling with the controls in order to some how retaliate. None of the buttons she pushed seemed to do anything. Warning lights were starting to go off in her cockpit and Felicia still didn't have a clue what to do. Frustrated with what she had to deal with, she grabbed the controls and merely tried to dodge the bullets--but that wasn't working too well either.

"I bet those two bastards are up there laughing at me right now."

"You were right," Master O said as he and Professor G watched the small simulation chamber vibrate as it took hit after hit. "She's going to be perfect for this."

"Shall we begin then?" Professor G asked.

The taller scientist nodded. "Be my guest."

Professor G reached for the panel in front of them which controlled what was happening on the simulation screen. His finger pushed down on a large red button. The words on the small screen above it read "ZERO SYSTEM ACTIVATED".

Felicia was about to the point where she was just going to give up and let the simulation game finish her. There was no point to continue fighting when she didn't know how. She glanced down at the control panel when a large red light flashed on and suddenly, everything went bright.

The young girl gasped as a strange sensation washed over her. The feeling was indescribable. It was as if someone had a pitcher over her and was just pouring information into her brain. Felicia looked to the control panels at her finger tips and suddenly she knew how to use them.

The mobile suits on the simulated screen advanced and Felicia gripped the controls, turning around to face them. Her fingers flew over the weapons panel as if they had done this a hundred times before. A barrage of missiles shot out and all hit their marks, destroying the enemy.

"Not bad," Professor G mused. "Change the simulation. Let's see how she responds to more challenging opponents."

Master O nodded and cranked up a dial on the control panel.

Felicia blinked when the field in front of her suddenly became the blank nothingness of outer space.

"What now?" she grumbled.

Her alarm signaled someone was coming and Felicia checked her radar. Appearing like stars in the distance, five figures were coming towards her. As they got closer, Felicia noted how they didn't look the same as the mobile suits she fought earlier. These were more stylized and each one was different.

The blue mobile suit shot its arm at her--almost like a snake's head to bite her. She managed to dodge the attack and sent out retaliatory fire which the enemy suit also dodged. Next, the black one with the scythe took a swing at her. She ducked, but was then hit by the white suit with the buster rifle in its hand. Felicia cried out in surprise. She could feel herself falling backward as now the red and the yellow mobile suits came after her. That was when she lost control.

In that instant, all time seemed to stop for Felicia. The computer generated battle produced on the screen disappeared as a different vision came to her. She saw a lovely church suddenly come under attack. The screams of the innocents were heard as the holy building was burned to the ground and the charred, bloodied bodies were left to rot as the fires burned out. And as Felicia was treated to this gruesome scene, she was, at the same time still in her cockpit and she gasped as a gooey red substance oozed from the walls around her. Blood.

Next, Felicia saw a kingdom as it was demolished to the ground and a peace loving ruler was put to death along with the rest of his kin as an angry young boy with platinum blonde hair watched on with revenge on his mind. And the walls continued to bleed.

An extremely young boy was blasted away from his mother's arms during an attack and left to a life without an identity and knowing nothing else but the war that cursed him. A young man with sad blue eyes watched helplessly as his father was shot down before his eyes. Another young man experienced the same thing as he watched his own colony self destruct for his sake. And the walls continued to bleed.

A war to end all wars raged through space. A three sided battle with no definite victor. An outraged colony on one side and a wounded Earth on the other. Heartless machines tore through the stars as human blood was splattered across the cosmos.

Blood was dripping from the ceiling now and it pooled around Felicia's ankles. She shook her head in panic, but the overwhelming visions refused to stop. Felicia screamed and then...there was nothing.

The two scientists walked slowly down the stairs once the simulation ended. The gundam fighting program had won, but the girl had still done an impressive job for one who had never piloted before. Professor G reached the cockpit first and opened it. Felicia's body instantly fell out and to the floor, ripping out the helmet from its wires as she did so.

Her arms hugged herself as her body convulsed violently on the floor; her fingers clutching so hard on her arms they dug into her flesh. The girl made the sound of vomiting from inside her helmet as she curled up into a tight, shivering ball.

The two scientists look on, unaffected.

"Quite an interesting after affect," Master O commented placidly.

"Indeed," Professor G agreed. "It appears the ZERO system has a more overwhelming affect to those who have never piloted before. Too bad in this state, the girl is unable to give us a full report of what she experienced. How disappointing." He turned to go. "Come, we'll check on her in the morning and see if she is able to recover."

The taller form of Master O nodded and followed his comrade out. The empty sound of their footfalls echoed in the silent room as they left. The door squeaked and whined as it was shut, leaving the small, shuddering figure alone in the darkness.


	9. Chapter 9: A Child's Prayer

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Nine: A Child's Prayer

Kade Carver swung his legs excitedly beneath the counter, waiting as patiently as was possible for a boy his age. He jumped off his stool when a figure he had known for only about twenty-four hours walked in the door with a few bags in his arms.

"Yay!" Kade exclaimed as he pulled at one of the bags Heero held. "What'd ya get? What'd ya get?"

"Hold on," Heero ordered as he set down the bags on the counter.

The young boy eagerly went through the bags and pulled out a brightly colored cereal box.

"Fruit Loops! Alright!"

Heero watched him as he ran to get a bowl for his cereal. Having a new visitor at his house for a day made Heero realize just how bare his cupboards were when it came to food. Between the two of them, they had polished off everything edible in the apartment the day before. Earlier that morning, Heero had gone to see if he could find a store with any food still intact.

He had to admit, it was kind of nice not having to pay for anything. A few clean up crew workers had only arrived to the colony that morning. So it wasn't like there was someone to give money to for the food anyway. And he doubted anyone would notice if a few boxes and canned goods were missing from the grocery store rouble.

It was an odd feeling to be the only one--besides Kade--on the colony for a bit. If Heero actually understood the definition, he would say that it was almost fun.

Heero paused when he noticed his young visitor looking at him strangely--his spoon suspended in the air and his mouth in mid chew. The pilot narrowed his eyes when he realized the boy wasn't looking at him, but past him. Heero recalled that since he was the only one in the building, he had not bothered to close the door. From the expression on the boy's face, someone was there.

Lightning fast, Heero whirled around and grabbed his attacker, slamming him into the wall hard. He was rewarded with a yelp of surprise from his victim and then a pained moan. But Heero's snarl disappeared when he saw who it was. The paranoid pilot took a step back and eyed the intruder skeptically.

"Ow, is this the way you treat all your guests Heero?" Duo moaned as he rubbed the back of his throbbing head.

"What are you doing here?" Heero demanded coldly.

"It's nice to see you again, too," Duo mumbled as he made his way over to the counter.

Kade watched the braided young man with wide eyes as he hugged his cereal box. Duo leaned against the counter and gave the boy a sideways grin.

"Nice kid Heero, I didn't know you had one."

Heero glared a death threat to him. "He's not mine."

"Of course not," Duo grinned. "He looks more like the milkman if you ask me."

Heero grunted and moved around the counter to start putting away his groceries. Duo just kept grinning. He had known long ago that all humor was lost on Heero Yuy.

"So how did you find me?" Heero asked after a while.

"Well, it wasn't too hard," Duo explained. "When an army of mobile dolls suddenly goes off line after only one day, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who was behind it. I just got here this morning. I thought it would take a while to hunt you down but I lucked out when I saw you heading back to this place."

"Hn," Heero nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Mister Heero," Kade whispered, catching Heero's sleeve. He gave a quick glance to Duo and then continued. "Who is that?"

"This is Duo," Heero said. "You don't need to be afraid of him, he won't hurt you."

"Of course not," Duo agreed. "Heero and I have been friends for years."

Heero glared at the word "friend" but Kade seemed satisfied and went back to eating his cereal.

"So why go through all that trouble to find me?" Heero asked when the food was put away.

Duo leaned his back against the counter and started fiddling with the end of his braid.

"Eh, just wanted to see what you were up to, I guess. Didn't really have anything else better to do." He turned around and leaned his elbows on the counter so he could see his fellow pilot. "We got together at Quatre's a while ago for his birthday. We even had Wufei on the vid com for a while. The only one missing was you. No one has heard from you since the Merimaia incident and I thought that maybe you've been by yourself for too long. I was hoping maybe you'd be ready to come back now."

"Back to what?" Heero replied almost bitterly.

Duo's answer was cut off when Kade tugged urgently on Heero's sleeve.

"Mister Heero, I have to go to the bathroom," he pleaded.

Heero sighed. "It's right there. You don't have to ask me every time, just go."

The kid did not have to be told twice and took off for the said bathroom and shut the door behind him.

"Heero, buddy," Duo said, placing a hand on the shorter pilot's shoulder. "We've got a LOT of catching up to do."

* * *

Quatre Winner studied the address in his hand as he wandered down the sidewalk. He had just arrived on Earth a few hours ago. After checking into a hotel and putting away his things, he set out to find the building Relena was staying in while the political crisis was still trying to be resolved. Quatre paused to check the street sign and then the piece of paper he held in his hand. He was close. It should be just another block or two.

"Quatre?"

He paused when he heard a feminine voice call his name.

"Quatre, it is you!"

He turned around to see a young woman with short red hair walk up to him.

"Candy?" Quatre stumbled. "Wh--what are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you, too," Candy grinned and then continued. "I'm spending a few weeks down here visiting Mommy Dearest." He voice was not without sarcasm as she said the last part. "And you?"

"Visiting a friend," Quatre stumbled, still trying to get over his initial surprise.

Candy nodded. "Cool. Sorry I couldn't stay for your birthday last week. I still feel kind of bad about that. I hope it was fun though."

Quatre shook himself. "Uh, yeah, it was great. I had a lot of fun."

"Good, I'm glad. Oh! I still owe you lunch or something, don't I? Think you'll be able to do that while you're here or is this visit all business?"

Quatre blinked. Was she just asking him out? Well, it wasn't the first time a girl had done that to him. But this was the first time he didn't respond to it with that familiar "why me" feeling. Did he sincerely want to go this time?

"Well, I might be able to find some time," Quatre admitted.

"Cool. Here, I'll give you my number." Candy pulled out a pen from her purse and scribbled a number on the paper with the address on it. "Just call me up with a time you can do it and I'm pretty sure I can pull it off. And if you can't fit me in, don't worry about it, we'll do it some other time back home, kay?"

"Okay," Quatre said quietly.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again. I gotta run now, but hopefully, we'll get together again soon, alright?" Candy turned on her heel and started the other way. "Later Quatre!"

Quatre managed a wave before the young red head disappeared around the corner. He blinked at the number on the paper in his hand for a moment before shoving it in his pocket. Still in a slight daze, Quatre continued on to his original destination.

* * *

Lucretia Noin awoke to a pounding headache. Her head felt light while her body felt heavy and everything around her was swimming.

"Woa," she mumbled as she clumsily pulled herself up on her knees. "I don't remember the party, but it must have been killer."

"You've been drugged," came a calm, clear voice at her side.

"M-Millardo?" Lucretia asked as her vision and thoughts began to become clearer.

The tall young man was sitting next to her with his back against the door. It appeared that the two had been returned to their room while they were unconscious. And if Millardo was still there, it was a pretty safe bet that they were locked inside. Held prisoner in their own quarters.

"What happened?" Lucretia then asked as she continued to look around.

"We've been captured," Millardo replied simply. "As near as I can tell we've both been out for almost twenty-four hours. The entire planet has probably been taken over by now."

Lucretia blinked in confusion. "But how could they--Hues!" She suddenly started to get angry. "He betrayed us! How could he do that after all this time that we've worked together?"

Millardo got up and started pacing around the room, arms folded over his chest. "My guess is that this thing was planned from the start. These men we've been working with planned on betraying us ever since they got here."

"But why?"

"Think about it Lucretia. Think about how long this project has taken us. All the set backs, all the faulty equipment and the incompetent workers. This whole project was set up to keep us here. I was a fool for not noticing it sooner."

"But who would want us stuck on this planet? What good would it do to anybody to keep us out of the way?" Lucretia pressed.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same person who's starting this war. They've been planning this thing for years. And this whole operation was a ploy to keep us out of it. Whoever it is that attacked the colonies doesn't want us to fight."

Lucretia sighed and pulled up her knees to her chest, hugging them. "So what do we do now?" she asked quietly.

Millardo leaned against the wall, arms still folded.

"We wait. There's nothing else we can do except wait."

* * *

"So his folks were killed in the attack and now you're taking care of him," Duo repeated as he wandered around the kitchen, looking for something to eat. "I'm surprised the kid's survived living this long with you Heero. Are you seriously going to hunt down someone who'll take care of him?"

"What choice do I have?" Heero replied. Now it was his turn to sit on one of the stools while Duo was behind the kitchen counter.

Duo paused to glance at the boy who was now watching cartoons on the cracked tv in the other room.

"I gotta hand in to ya Heero, you've sure changed since I've last seen you."

"Hn," was all he got in reply.

_At least some things stayed the same,_ Duo thought with a grin while he fixed himself a sandwich.

The two ex-Gundam pilots has spent the last few hours just talking. Well, Duo did most of the talking. He told Heero all about what he had been doing the last few years. He told him that he and Hilde were no longer together--leaving out certain details he didn't care to mention. The only time Heero said anything was when Duo asked a question, which he was doing more and more of since he had finished talking about himself.

"So you've just spent time working around the colonies these past few years, huh?" Duo continued on in light conversation. "Do you use your real name or is it still a problem up here?"

Heero's expression darkened slightly. Duo vaguely wondered why.

"My name is still too well known among the colonies," Heero said quietly. "I've had to come up with other identities when I go to work."

Duo nodded as he chewed on his sandwich. He swallowed and went to root around in Heero's fridge for something to drink.

"You know Heero, you could always go back to Earth. Maybe work as a Preventer or something. That's what Wufei is doing right now. At least you'll be able to use your own identity. And I've heard the pay is a lot better than anything you might be doing up here. How about it?"

Heero got up off his stool and joined Duo in the kitchen. He moved to the sink to get himself a glass of water.

"I am fine where I am," he stated.

"Oh, come on Heero," Duo begged. "Come back with me. I didn't come all this way to go back without you. You can't live your life alone forever. You need more than this."

Heero didn't reply and instead, moved to start cleaning up the mess Duo had left from making his sandwich.

"And besides," Duo continued on with a smile. "I know someone back on Earth who would be very happy to see you."

Heero glowered at the familiar taunting tone in Duo's voice. He saw this one coming a mile away.

"Of course, I won't mention any names. But their initials are Relena Peacecraft."

Duo smiled when Heero froze with his back to him when he said that name. He thought for sure he had tipped the argument in his favor with placing that card. To his surprise, all Heero did was continue with his cleaning task.

"Don't talk to me about Relena," he said evenly.

"Why not?" Duo wanted to know. "Don't tell me you honestly don't plan on ever seeing her again. She's worried about you Heero. All she wants is just to see how you're doing."

Heero brushed past him to return the bread back to its cupboard. "Then you can go back and tell her I am fine."

"Come on Heero, she doesn't want to hear it from me! She wants to see you! She--"

"No!" Heero cut him off. "I am fine where I am. I will continue to live my life where and how I want to. I do not need Relena to interfere with it."

"Damnit Heero!" Duo suddenly exclaimed as he pounded his fist on the counter angrily. "Why are you such an idiot?"

Heero managed to look mildly surprised at Duo's out burst.

"Man, what is wrong with you?" the braided pilot continued. "I'd kill to have someone like Relena out there waiting for me! Someone--anyone I could be with. How can you stand to be so secluded?"

Duo sighed and calmed himself. He ran a hand through his thick bangs as his voice began to falter.

"I'm sorry Heero. I'm just--I'm so tired of being alone."

Heero raised an eye brow and suddenly snatched Duo's wrist in mid air. He turned Duo's hand palm up and pushed away the sleeve. His eyes burned at what they saw. Duo struggled when he noticed the thin scars on his wrists had been discovered.

"Hey! What the hell do you--"

"Baka!" Heero interrupted, cold eyes piercing into him. "I don't believe what I'm seeing. Hilde left you, didn't she? And this is why."

Duo only lowered his head. Heero let him go and turned around in disgust.

"I thought you were stronger than that," he said evenly.

Duo suddenly felt his anger boiling inside him. "Don't you suddenly get all high and mighty on me Heero Yuy! I'm not the only one in this room who's ever attempted suicide, or don't you remember?"

Heero paused for a moment before replying.

"That was different."

"Different! DIFFERENT! Well forgive me for not doing it correctly! I wasn't able to jump out of a tall building and I didn't happen to have a Gundam around to detonate at the time! Of course, everything YOU do is perfect, Mr. Flawless! Mr. I'm-Always-Better-Than-You-Duo! Everything you do IS perfect--except when it comes to killing yourself. So tell me that Heero! Why can't you do the one thing you tried the hardest to do? For that matter, why can't I do it either? Tell me Heero, why can't we friggin' DIE!"

Duo accented the last word by pounding both fists on the counter. He was breathing hard and he looked on the verge of tears. Behind him, Heero could see Kade peek his head curiously into the room.

"You need to calm down," Heero told Duo placidly.

"Calm down!" Duo suddenly shot to life again. "What would you know about being calm? What would you know about being anything? All you do is sit there with that same damn expression on your face! Is there anything in this world you care about Heero? Anything at all?"

The Japanese pilot only turned his head and didn't answer.

"Well, you know what Heero?" Duo said as he jabbed his finger in Heero's chest. "I'm getting sick of your bullshit. I'm sick of caring when you obviously don't give a damn! And I'm sick of busting my ass hunting all over the galaxy for you! If you want to be alone out here for the rest of you're life, then you can just go ahead." Duo turned and started for the door. "I don't know why I even came anyway. I must have been crazy. Baka me, right Heero?"

And with that, he slammed the door behind him.

After he was gone, Heero went right back to cleaning the kitchen as if nothing had happened. That was just Duo's way and he was long since use to it. But little did he know, Heero would be the last person to see Duo Maxwell.

* * *

Cathrine was carrying a few supplies into the next tent when she noticed some of the workers watching a small tv they had set up on the circus grounds. She paused long enough to catch a certain news report that seemed to have everyone's attention.

"What's going on?" she asked the man closest to her.

"They're releasing the names of all the colonies that were attacked by the mobile dolls," he answered.

This had Cathrine's attention. She listened as the different cereal numbers of the colonies were listed off.

"...And in L2 cluster, the following colonies are: KXP199, J5246, and XRQ211."

Catherine gasped at the last one.

_Wasn't that the colony where that friend of Trowa's lives?_

At her back she heard a displeased grunt.

"Trowa..." Cathrine breathed as she turned to see him.

The stoic young man held the same expression as he looked at his sister and then continued on his way.

"Trowa," Cathrine called as she followed him. "I'm sorry to hear what happened. Are you going to be okay? Are you worried for her?"

Trowa glanced at his sister and kept his gate steady. "Hilde will be fine," he replied. "She can take care of herself."

"Okay..." Cathrine relented as she let him go.

_Trowa, it's still so hard for me to tell what you're feeling. If you really are worried, I wish you would let me know...

* * *

_

"Mister Duo isn't coming back tonight, is he?" Kade asked as he looked out the darkened window.

"No, he's probably gone by now," Heero answered. "Come, it's time for you to sleep now."

"Okay," the small boy said. He trudged to the bedroom wearing one of Heero's T-shirts which was quite large and long on him.

Heero followed him and watched him climb into the bed before going to turn off the lights.

"Wait!" Kade called as he jumped out of bed again. "I forgot to say my prayers. I have to do it every night."

Heero raised an eyebrow at him as he knelt down by the bed. "You didn't do it last night."

"I know, I forgot. So I really have to do it tonight. My mom always said you need to pray every night."

Heero let out a deep breath. "Fine," he relented. "Pray and then go to bed."

The boy looked at the bed and then back at Heero. "I can't do it by myself. Will you pray with me? Please?"

Heero gave the boy an almost pained expression. What would it take to get this kid to sleep?

"Please Mister Heero," Kade continued. "My parents used to help me but...but they're not here any more."

Heero sighed. He decided he really was a chump sometimes as he knelt down next to the boy and folded his arms loosely on the bed. He sat there and waited, but Kade kept looking at him expectantly.

"What?" Heero demanded.

"You're older, you should say it."

"I don't know how," Heero admitted.

"Then I'll teach you," Kade smiled. "Just watch me." He clasped his hands together and waited for Heero to do the same. The elder pilot watched dubiously as the child started his prayer.

"Dear God, thank you for this beautiful colony we live on and for all the trees and flowers and air and dogs and cats and chocolate pie and..."

Heero tapped the bed impatiently as the kid continued to name off everything under the sun.

"And please bless that we will travel where ever Mister Heero takes us safely. And please bless Mister Duo." At this time, Kade paused to check on Heero by opening one eye to see if he was still paying attention.

"Bless Duo," Heero muttered reluctantly to keep the kid happy.

Satisfied, Kade closed his eyes and continued. "And God, please bless Heero. He saved me. And please bless all the good people who lost their homes. Oh, and God, please take care of my mom and dad and tell them that I love them. Amen."

Afterward, there was a small span of silence.

"You done yet?" Heero asked.

"Yup," he beamed.

"Good, now get to bed."

"Aren't you going to bed, too?" Kade asked as he climbed under the covers.

"Later. I have things to do first. Now go to sleep."

"Okay. Good night Heero."

Heero turned off the lights and left the room. A couple hours later, Heero was ready to turn in himself. He snuck in quietly and slipped ever so carefully onto the bed next to the boy as not to wake him. The bed squeaked as he got in and Heero held his breath. No movement from the other side. Heero let out a deep breath and relaxed.

"Mister Heero?"

Heero fought the urge to growl in frustration as Kade leaned over his shoulder.

"Are you asleep Mister Heero?"

"Yes," Heero automatically responded.

There was silence for a moment.

"Heero? What do you pray for?"

Heero sat up and looked the child in the face. "I don't believe in God. Now go to sleep." He rolled back over and pulled the covers moodily around him. Kade plopped back onto his pillow and for a minute, was quiet.

"I believe in God," he told the ceiling. "I wouldn't pray if I didn't believe in God. My mom told me she couldn't understand why people don't believe in God. She said the Earth was too beautiful for it just to exist by chance. I've been to Earth lots of times and I believe it. My mom also said that God will always answer my prayers if I ask hard enough."

Heero groaned and tried his best to block out the chatter.

"She said God would send me help when I need it if I prayed. When the mobile dolls attacked and when my parents got hurt I prayed a whole bunch."

He paused and looked over at the hulking lump that was trying to ignore him.

"Heero?"

"What?" The answer came in the usual monotone voice.

The little boy's reply was hardly a whisper.

"I prayed for you."

* * *

The city was empty as the hour was extremely late. But Felicia strolled down the sidewalks as if it were the middle of the day. She had already told the two scientists back at the warehouse she would be out that night. So what if they didn't like it? If they were going to subject her to that awful simulation chamber every day, they could at least let her get out once in a while. Besides, it wasn't like anyone would be out this time of night away.

Felicia continued on, checking the street signs until she came to the address she was looking for. There it was. The place--the building from her dreams. It seemed to be waiting for her. Felicia took a deep breath and started for it. The alleyway was just the same as she had seen it all those nights before. The same junky pile was there and, when she removed it, she saw the same small stairway leading to the same small door.

The heart in her chest beat hard and rapid. This was it; this was what she had been waiting so patiently for. And this time, it was not a dream. No more waking up prematurely before she could find out the end. Felicia swallowed and started down the stairs. Her feet were silent on the cement steps as she reached the bottom and gazed at the dark door that loomed before her. It looked old and untouched for years. She grabbed the knob and was surprised when it turned and the door opened easily.

The door squeaked slightly as Felicia pushed it open. She just stood there in the open doorway, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. There was a dark hall way leading to some place or other. Eventually, the young girl decided she might as well check it out while she was here.

The hall was dimly lit by a single light bulb on the ceiling half way through. Felicia cautiously followed the small path until she could see a brighter light at the end. As she approached, her keen ears picked up the faint sound of music, then the familiar crack of pool balls hitting against each other. Felicia peeked her head into the doorway and saw a nicely furnished room. In the middle was a pool table with a single light bulb hanging over it. A figure stood at the far end of the table in the shadows with a pool stick in his hands. In the background, classical music played soft and low.

"So, you came," spoke a man's voice. It sounded calm and educated.

With it now obvious she had been meant to come here, Felicia stepped into the room with more purpose in her stride.

"Who are you?" she asked. "How did you know I was coming? For that matter, I dreamed about this place. What--how...?"

She trailed off, confused at what she was trying to ask. The tall man stepped out into the light a bit more and Felicia saw that it was, indeed, the same man from her dreams. He leaned over the pool table and aimed his next shot carefully.

"I know a lot of things," he replied after he sunk another ball. "For instance, I know that you have a habit of accepting peculiar requests when they are presented to you."

"And so that's why you wanted me here," Felicia surmised. "You have--"

"A job for you, yes," the stranger answered.

Felicia cocked an eyebrow and leaned against the opposite end of the table.

"And just what would I be getting in return for taking some time off to do this job? I already have a bunch of old guys breathing down my neck twenty-four/seven."

The stranger looked right at her with his intelligent blue eyes. "In return, I will tell you how to find what you came to Earth for."

"And that is exactly..." Felicia searched.

"You know what it is. Also, you will learn about who I am as well if you complete this task."

The dark haired girl thought a moment and then stood up straight with a smile.

"Okay then, you have a deal. Just what is it that you want me to do?"

The stranger threw her a pool stick. She caught it neatly.

"Come, play with me," The mysterious man invited. "And I will tell you."


	10. Chapter 10: Hail to the Theif

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Ten: Hail to the Thief

The lighting voiced its fury all over the darkened countryside. It cracked and screamed and threatened to break the sky in half and spill its contents all over, drenching the planet. But there was no rain as of yet, just continued lightning. It shot across the sky again, momentarily lighting up the shadowed figure as it skulked around outside a large mansion stationed far from the city.

Felicia cursed the weather of this place again as another bolt of lightning revealed her. She always did have to pick the worst nights to go out. She just hoped that whatever the stranger from the other night had sent her for, it was worth it. He had described the entire mansion to her in intricate detail. So much so that it almost seemed like he had lived in that place himself.

She came across the large window behind a group of thick bushes and crawled under the foliage to get to it. Felicia then pulled out a small flashlight and checked the window frame. There was an alarm system all right. But nothing she couldn't handle. Pulling out a simple pocket knife, Felicia fingered the group of wires snaking down to the ground and cut the correct one. The window then slid open with out a sound.

"Piece of cake."

Felicia climbed inside and quietly shut the window behind her. She appeared to be in some spacious study room--the very room she was sent to. She went directly to the large oak desk and studied it. Everything on and around it was in perfect order but something didn't look right. She touched the desk with a gloved hand and inspected the layer of dust that had clung to her fingers.

The whole place looked so nice and well kept but this room appeared to not have been used for years. Why would she be sent to get something from a room no one ever goes in? Whatever the reason, Felicia was more interested in the results of her return than what she was sent to get. She moved her hand beneath the desk and felt for some sort of lever as she had been instructed. There was a click as a small slot beneath the desk suddenly opened, dropping an object onto the floor. Felicia quickly replaced the trap door and picked up the small, black book from the carpet.

She eyed the thing skeptically, wondering what was possibly in this book that was so important. It looked like a diary of some kind with a black leather binding. It too looked like it hadn't been touched in years. Nevertheless, she tucked it into her jacket and was about to leave the way she had come when a sound caught her ear.

It was classical music--the very same kind she had heard in that underground room. Who was playing it? Felicia opened the study door and peeked her head out into the hall. The whole mansion seemed to be finely furnished with red carpet and elegant chandeliers. The hallway looked clean and fresh and used; unlike the study room she was in. Even more curious, Felicia eased her way into the hall and snuck down it, following the sound of the music.

She hadn't gone very far when she happened upon a large portrait hanging on the wall. She couldn't believe who it was a picture of. It was the exact same man she been with the night before. In her surprise, she stumbled backwards and knocked into a small table. The vase on top toppled over and landed with a thud on the soft carpet. Felicia cursed her clumsiness as she hurried to replace it.

"Who's out there?" called a woman's voice.

Felicia spun around to see that she had already been spotted. A tall woman with long brown hair, wearing what looked like a Preventers uniform walked in. Felicia immediately pulled her gun on the witness. The woman froze when she saw the weapon, but didn't look too frightened by it.

"Who are you?" she bravely asked the trespasser. "What is it you want here?"

Felicia was taken a bit off guard by the woman's casualness but kept her wits about her. She took a quick glance up at the painting on the wall.

"Tell me who that is," she demanded of the woman. "Who is that a picture of?"

The woman looked at the portrait on the wall and her expression seemed to soften.

"His name was Trieze Kushrenada. He was a leader of the former OZ and also Romefeller."

"What do you mean 'was'?" Felicia demanded.

Commander Une swallowed a lump in her throat. "He died four years ago in battle."

She was a bit surprised when her little trespasser looked like she was about to have a panic attack at that revelation. What did she want here anyway?

"Well, that's a shame," the young intruder said after she finally found her voice. She didn't sound too remorseful though. "Good night."

Lady Une's eyes went wide when the young girl pulled the trigger of the gun. Her beautiful brown hair shimmered as her body fell lifelessly to the floor. Several hours later, Lady Une woke up and pulled the dart from her arm where it had hit her. The painting was gone.

* * *

"Is something bothering you, Quatre?"

Quatre looked up and blinked when he had been addressed. He shook himself from his thoughts, remembering where he was. The blonde young woman sitting across the small table gazed at him with concern.

"You look a bit worried," Relena continued softly. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

Quatre swallowed. He looked down at his full tea cup which hadn't been touched. He looked into Relena's face again. She had a warm, comforting smile for him. An open invitation that he could tell her what was bothering him.

"Well, I--I've got this date in a little while..."

_Duo is missing._

Relena's face brightened. "Oh really? Anyone I know?"

Quatre shifted in his chair. "I don't think so. She doesn't live here on Earth. She's just visiting for a while."

_I don't know what happened to him._

Relena intertwined her fingers and rested her chin on the back of her hands. She smiled reflectively as she looked at the young man across from her.

"You must really like this girl. I've never seen you so nervous for a date before."

"Um, yeah. I guess," Quatre replied with a shrug and a weak smile.

_I never should have let him go by himself._

"What time is this date of yours?" Relena continued to ask.

"I was going to pick her up around noon. We're going out to lunch."

_What am I going to tell Candy?_

Relena glanced at her watch. "Wow, you should probably get going then. Thank you for stopping by to visit me Quatre."

The taller young man stood. "My pleasure. We must do this again soon."

_She's going to be crushed when she finds out Duo might not be coming back for her._

The two said their good-byes and Quatre tromped out of the lavish building to where his car waited. He got into the driver's side and started the engine. Most members of his family used a chauffeur, but Quatre found he rather enjoyed driving himself around. It was a good way to clear one's head. Though this time, a drive through the city would do little to calm the uneasiness in his stomach.

The whereabouts of one Duo Maxwell had been unknown for three days now. After finding Heero, Duo had contacted Quatre, telling him it was a no go for the return of the Wing Gundam pilot. Heero wasn't coming back. But Duo had assured him that he was just about to head to the shuttle that would start a chain of flights eventually leading back to Quatre's colony. That was the last anyone ever heard or seen of the braided young man. He never made it to the next check point and no one knew what had happened to him.

Quatre bit his lip as he neared the address that had been given to him previously. He had a feeling something was wrong. Even Duo knew better than to just disappear like that. He sounded eager and willing to return. The only explanation for his failure to arrive had to be that someone or something had prevented him from doing so.

This left Quatre in a horrible situation. Not only was he wracked with worry for the loss of his friend, but it was now his duty to let Duo's girlfriend know of his disappearance. He wanted to keep the news from her, but Candy did have a right to know.

Quatre pulled up in front of a large house with big, white pillars in the front. He bit his lip as he stepped out of the car and shoved his hands deep in his pockets as he trudged up the sidewalk. One last deep breath was allowed before he rang the doorbell.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

The door swung open and Quatre blinked in surprise at the unfamiliar woman in uniform who had answered the door.

"I--I'm sorry," Quatre stuttered. "Do I have the right house?"

The woman smiled. "You must be Mr. Winner. Please come in. The little Mistress has been expecting you."

Quatre gave the woman--obviously a maid of some sorts--an odd look before stepping into the house. The interior was extremely extravagant. It was almost like a fancy museum. Much different than Quatre had expected.

"Please, come with me," the maid smiled sweetly and led the way through the house.

The tile on the floor was so shiny, Quatre could see his reflection. Piano music wafted up to his ears. The musician sounded out of practice. Many notes were missed and the music sounded half hearted. This was not the way Quatre had been told how one should play music.

The maid opened a sliding door and the music became much clearer. Quatre looked in and saw Candy in the middle of a white carpeted room. She was sitting at a black grand piano and plunking away with a bored expression on her face. The maid was about to announce his arrival but Quatre stopped her and merely walked in unnoticed.

"Very nice," he commented, causing Candy to turn around. "That must be the most interesting version of "Ode to Joy" I've ever heard."

The young redhead laughed. "It was that bad, huh?"

"I take it you don't enjoy playing the piano much."

"Not really," Candy admitted. "My mother always makes me practice when ever I come over. My dad doesn't though. He believes it isn't worth forcing yourself on something you're not passionate about."

Quatre nodded, agreeing with the logic. "Shall we go now?"

"Yeah, but let me serenade you first with the most wonderful, romantic song you've ever heard. You'll be so impressed."

Quatre laughed when Candy played him a nice little version of "Chopsticks". He was about to offer to play something for her when Candy jumped up as if suddenly remembering something important.

"Oh! It's past noon! We should probably go before my mom--"

"CANDY HONEY, I'M HOOOME!"

Candy groaned. "Too late."

"Your mother?" Quatre asked.

Candy nodded with an almost pained expression as a elegantly dressed woman with bright make up and honey colored hair whisked into the room.

"Oh wonderful, I made it just in time to see you off," Candy's mother grinned as she removed her expensive sun glasses.

"Yes, how lovely," Candy lied through her teeth. "How was shopping?"

"It was a trip, darling, I must say. I have to show you all the things I bought. But first, please introduce me. You never told me who this handsome young man is."

Quatre blushed a little under the older woman's approving gaze. At the same time, he idly wondered why Candy hadn't told her mother his name before.

"Mother," Candy was still faking a smile. "This is Quatre Winner. Quatre, my mom; Ms. Van Rensselaer."

"It's a pleasure," Quatre greeted politely.

"THE Quatre Winner?" Candy could almost see her mother's eyes light up with dollar signs as she reached for Quatre's hand. "Please, call me June."

Quatre shook it hesitantly while Candy hid her face with her hands.

"Candy," her mother said, "Why didn't you tell me you were going out with such a handsome young man?"

"Sorry Mom, I didn't think it was a big deal," Candy fumbled. "But we should probably go now. Don't want to be late you know."

Candy's mother let go of Quatre's hand almost reluctantly.

"Alright then, I'll talk to you when you get home tonight."

_I'm sure you will,_ Candy thought to herself. She could already imagine the grueling run down she was going to get when she got home that night. Her mother would be relentless about her relationship with the rich young man from now on.

"Bye Mom," Candy called as she grabbed Quatre's arm and practically dragged him out the door.

She even cut off her own mother's farewell as she shut the door behind them in her haste. She relaxed only slightly after that as they continued together to the car. Quatre was still bewildered with it all. Why was Candy suddenly acting so tense? They got in the car and Candy heaved a big sigh.

"Oh Quatre," she breathed as she covered her face with her hands. "When you go back home, take me with you."

"Why?" Quatre wondered.

She let out a deep breath. "It's my mom. I know, she's my mother and everything. But I just can't stand that woman sometimes. She and I just don't get along much."

Quatre nodded. "I know how that is. My father and I were always disagreeing with everything. But your mother still loves you no matter the differences."

"Quatre, that's not what I meant," Candy argued in an exasperated tone. "I can't stand the way she treats people. It doesn't matter what kind of person you are on the outside, all she and those like her see is how much is in their bank accounts. That's why I didn't tell her your name before. Because I knew as soon as she knew who you were she would start treating you like she did. I'm sorry Quatre. If you want to back out of this right now you can. I wouldn't want to get involved with someone from my family either."

Quatre smiled gently and touched her shoulder, causing Candy to look up at him. "Never," he said quietly. "I'm not interested in anybody else. Where you come from doesn't matter to me; just you."

He was rewarded by a faint, but grateful smile from Candy before he started the car and they drove away.

* * *

Sally poked her head into the control room to see Wufei working fervently on the surveillance systems. He had been so quiet for the past few days. Sally worried about him. Ever since that girl Felicia that was staying with her suddenly ran off he had been like this. And it wasn't like him.

At first, Wufei just sat around and brooded. Sally expected that from him. He always had a brooding period before the other shoe dropped--so to speak. Sally half expected Felicia to appear out of the blue and come back to them like she had the first time. But it never happened. So Sally then prepared for the aftermath. Every day, she would sit at her desk, waiting for Wufei to suddenly come barging into her office and rant about all the world's injustices. He would carry on about how he said they never should have trusted Felicia and, in general, complain about every little thing until it was all off his chest.

But that never happened either. And that was what made Sally worried.

Normally, she would have gotten on his case about keeping his anger in when it wasn't heathy until he would explode in her face. Then all would be good afterwards; at least after all the shrapnel had been cleared away. But when Sally looked at Wufei, she couldn't sense any bottled up anger like he usually had. He had become calmer some how. Sally didn't know how else to describe it. The normally uptight young man just let the world pass him by. Nothing got under his skin any more.

A miracle in disguise? Sally wasn't so sure.

She had tried testing him once, just to see if maybe he had become a better actor than before.

"What do you think about Felicia just up and leaving us like that?" she had asked him once.

Wufei's expression didn't even change at the question. "She did what she wanted to do," he had replied, not skipping a beat. And that was the end of that.

The subject was never mentioned again and Sally often wondered why. Wufei was never one to keep a secret of what was bothering him. Usually the whole base was aware of the day's injustice done to him. But not this time.

Sally stepped into the room and took the chair next to the Chinese pilot. She wasn't through prodding him yet and still had one more trick up her sleeve.

"So, how's it going?" she started casually.

"Everything looks clear," Wufei replied, not looking away from his instruments. "Just another uneventful day."

Sally smiled slightly from that.

"You know, Commander Une told me she was robbed last night. But it was the strangest thing."

Wufei finally looked at her and even managed to raise an eyebrow. "Really. What was taken?"

"That's the weird part," Sally continued. "Only one painting was taken. It wasn't even an expensive one. But as far as the Commander knows, nothing else was touched."

"Did she see who did it?"

That was the question Sally had been waiting for. She already had the answer well rehearsed in her head.

_She said it was a young woman about your age. Tanned skin, dark hair. Quite possibly goes by the name of Felicia unless she's changed her alias by now._

But when Sally looked into Wufei's dark eyes to reply, the answer never made it to her mouth.

"No, she didn't," she lied.

Wufei gave out a noncommunicable sound and returned his attention back to the control panel. Sally looked down at her hands and wondered just what happened.

"Huh?"

Sally looked up at the sound.

"What is it?"

Wufei was checking the different sensors and scanners rapidly. "For a second I thought I saw something appear on radar." When nothing else showed up he leaned back in his seat. "Probably just a glitch."

Sally merely nodded and stayed quiet.

* * *

Quatre gazed over at his companion as she dabbed the side of her mouth with a napkin. They were eating lunch in an outside cafe and the food was wonderful. Quatre found he was enjoying himself very much in Candy's company. Whenever she smiled at him it was always genuine. That was such a rarity these days. Even Quatre's smile that day was not completely heart felt. He still had an issue weighing heavily on his conscience.

"Candy," he said, putting his hand on hers from across the table. That and the seriousness in his eyes caught her attention right away. "There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked, looking into his face. She could tell right away that whatever it was, it worried him greatly. And that worried her.

Quatre let out a deep sigh. "I don't know how to tell you this, but Duo is missing. It's my fault. I--"

"Duo?" Candy interrupted, looking a bit confused.

"Yes, from my party? Remember?"

"Oh yes! Duo!" Candy exclaimed as realization suddenly hit her. "The guy with the braid, right." Her expression instantly softened as she patted Quatre's hand. "I'm sorry Quatre. It must be hard for you."

Quatre blinked in surprise that the sudden turn of events. "Hard for me? But--"

He was interrupted as an earth-shattering explosion ripped through the entire block. Quatre instinctly grabbed Candy and threw her to the ground and covered her with his own body. Above them food, tables, even bodies flew around them as the explosion instantly devastated the block. The two teens looked up at the hulking form towering above the buildings. Candy gasped.

"Quatre, what is that?"

The young man's mouth fell open as he recognized the unbelievable sight instantly.

* * *

"Come in," Relena called when she heard a knock at her door. She was sitting at her desk, going through the reports over the colony attacks for the umpteenth time when her door opened and a figure stepped in.

"Miss Dorothy," Relena said, a bit surprised.

"Hello again Miss Relena," Dorothy smiled. "I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I'd stop by."

Relena just nodded and said nothing.

"Looking over the colony reports?" the blonde guessed as she glanced at the papers in Relena's hands. "That is so like you. Always working for the benefit of all mankind. But, as always, nothing you do will matter in the end. One woman cannot stop these attacks from continuing. Times are changing Miss Relena, and if you don't change with them, then you'll get left behind."

Relena clenched the papers in her fist but otherwise held her tongue. "Then what do you think I should be doing, Dorothy?" she said evenly.

The taller woman smiled and seated herself on the corner of Relena's desk. "Why, to focus on the big picture, not to concern yourself with these little events you cannot do anything about. It's time to prepare for when the real war breaks out; to be ready to lead the people into a new and brighter age when the war is over. After the people are finally allowed to fight for what they've been hungering for, then you will finally attain your peace, Miss Relena."

"And who told you that?" Relena wanted to know. "You're visionary boyfriend?"

Dorothy shot her a look. "Jason is the only one with any sense out of all you people. If we make it through this war to a brighter future it will only be because of his leadership."

"And where is our great general now then?" Relena asked.

"He," Dorothy sneered. "Is out making a difference--unlike others."

That was it. Relena stood and was about to give Dorothy a piece of her mind when the ground beneath her shook, causing her to instantly forget her retort.

_What now?_ Relena's mind wondered tiredly.

"What on Earth?" Dorothy asked out loud as she wandered towards the large picture window behind Relena.

The ground shook again. Relena turned and joined Dorothy at the window. Outside amongst all the city buildings stood a great hulking shadow whose mere presence caused Relena's blood to run ice cold.

Dorothy gasped and her face went pale.

"No," Relena breathed. "It can't be..."

* * *

Wufei jumped to complete attention when the control panel in front of him started going crazy, releasing all sorts of alarms. He immediately started checking into what was going on. Sally was instantly behind him as he brought up the radar.

"What is it?" Sally asked urgently.

"Something just...suddenly appeared inside the city," Wufei fumbled for an explanation. He gazed at the large blip on radar. "Something big."

Sally squinted at the large dot on screen. "Looks almost like a mobile suit. But it's too big to be to be any regular model I know of. What's it doing in the city?"

"Attacking it would be my guess," Wufei replied as he typed furiously at the controls. "I'm going to try and get a satellite image of it."

"And I'm going to get Preventers down there ASAP!" Sally exclaimed as she got on the base com and started ordering her troops.

"Sally, I got it on screen," Wufei announced.

The Major glanced over and the speaker dropped from her hand in surprise. Both of them stared numbly at the site that met them.

"I don't believe it..." Wufei managed to rasp.

Sally shook her head, eyes wide in disbelief.

"...it's..."

* * *

"The Deathscythe?" Quatre cried in horror.

Candy clutched his sleeve tighter as the dark, hulking figure moved among the buildings above them. Shrapnel and debris rained over them as the massive mobile suit passed through the city, destroying everything in its wake. Buildings crumbled, almost without effort on the monster's part. It shot off missiles, devastating an even larger part of the city.

From her high story office, Relena watched in frozen terror as the terribly familiar form of the Deathscythe Gundam tromped through the city block, destroying everything in its wake. At its feet, civilians fled for their lives as the metal giant watched them scurry with undead optics.

The dreaded figure turned to the large building at its side. Relena froze in fear as the horrid thing seemed to be looking right in at her.

"Relena! Run!" Dorothy shouted as she grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door.

Relena felt numb and light-headed all at the same time as she blindly let Dorothy yank her down the hall to the stairs. The building rocked under her feet as if it were a giant Jinga tower ready to topple over. But Dorothy stubbornly pushed on until both of them were safely down in the bomb shelter where many of the other building's inhabitants had fled.

Quatre stood tall amidst the panicked crowd and watched with a steeled gaze as the Deathscythe effortlessly totaled another building. That used to be his comrade. He used to fight alongside that machine. Deathscythe's original pilot was his friend. Quatre's eyes widened as a question hit him like a bolt of lightning. What if Deathscythe was still being used by the original pilot?

"Quatre," Candy called before he could start formulating a plan to go after the gundam. "We've got to get out of here!"

The blonde young man gazed up at the familiar mobile suit and then into Candy's terrified eyes. He knew he had to get her to safety before he took any other kind of action. He put his arm around her as another explosion shook the ground.

"Come on," he called above the noise as he pulled her away.

His car was back the other way. He wasn't going to chance going to fetch it. But by some stroke of luck, a taxi drove by just then. Quatre was quick to hail it down.

"Where to?" The driver, a young man with neat brown hair, asked as if it were a regular day.

"Anywhere," Quatre announced as they both practically jumped into the back seat. "Just get us out of here quick!"

"You bet I will," replied the driver as he stepped on the gas.

Quatre gave the back of the driver's head an odd look as they rode away. He didn't look or act like a taxi driver. And the way he had responded, it was almost like he had a plan on where he was going to take them.

But Quatre didn't have time to speculate for long. A thin smoke flowed into the back seat and the two passengers slumped against each other, unconscious. The driver gazed at their lifeless bodies through his rear view mirror and smiled to himself. The plan worked perfectly.

* * *

Deathscythe was showing little signs of letting up his attack as Preventers forces flew in with what spare mobile suits they had on hand. The gundanium monster turned when they came up on its radar and it looked as though it would attack. But instead, it did something quite unexpected. With a large burst of smoke, the great war machine vanished, leaving all it had terrorized in chaos and confusion.

* * *

After her ordeal with the woman in the mansion, Felicia was perplexed to say the least. It didn't make sense. But then again, Felicia could barely recall the last time her life made sense. There were only two ways to explain what was going on. Either that woman didn't know what she was talking about or, two nights ago, Felicia had played a game of pool with a dead man. Either way didn't sit too well with her. There was only one way to find out for sure.

After stashing her stolen goods, Felicia had returned to the secret hideaway only to find it empty. The small hallway was dank and dusty--not at all like she had remembered it. When she had tried to turn on the lights, most of them didn't work. The other few sputtered to life as if they had been long out of use. Felicia was half expecting this, but it was the sight that was laid out before her that really chilled her to the bone.

The couch, the pool table, the radio--everything was exactly where she remembered it. But it was all covered in several years of dust and cobwebs. She went to the pool rack on the wall to find it in the same condition. But she had held those pool sticks and played at that table. It was as if she had never been there. Her game with the strange man, was it just another dream? By this time, Felicia could never be sure. She left the lonely, dusty room feeling lost and even a bit scared and never planned to return.

Felicia didn't return to the scientists in their great grey building after that. Instead, she headed back to her stolen treasures. She had happened upon a condemned building a few days previous and found one of the rooms there to be perfect as a hideaway of her own. Inside the room were a few pieces of broken furniture she had salvaged from one place or another. Even a desk that was mostly in tact.

That was where Felicia sat as she eyed the black book in front of her warily. Even after she had found out the man she had been working for was a potential ghost, she still hadn't opened it. She hadn't even touched it since she placed it there. Felicia hated to admit it, but she was afraid of it. Afraid to touch it; afraid to find out what was written inside it. What kind of message did this solider want to tell her from beyond the grave?

Her gaze then turned to the portrait of the man she had also swiped from the mansion. She had hung it on a crooked nail sticking out of the wall until she could figure out what to do with it. She had not been told to steal the painting, just the book. Felicia was not a thief by nature--at least not one of gaudy portraits. But some unforseen impulse had insisted she take it and Felicia always obeyed her instincts. Maybe she could make a couple of bucks selling it on the black market.

But as she studied the picture of the supposedly deceased Trieze, Felicia wondered why she had been impressed to take this out of all the other expensive things in the house she could have stolen. And after what she had found out earlier, this portrait was really starting to creep her out. Those eyes. Those piercing blue eyes. They seemed almost alive and constantly looking straight at her.

No, not at her. Lower. Felicia subconsciously followed the gazed downward. It was staring at the book.

"Read it," the painting seemed to tell her. "Read it and find out."

Felicia bit her lip as she looked from the picture to the book and then back at the picture again. She had to admit, her curious side was starting to get the best of her and her fingers were just itching to open it.

Felicia let out a heavy sigh in defeat and slowly reached for the black leather book.

"Okay, Mr. Kushrenada. Let's see what you have to say."


	11. Chapter 11: Ghost in the Gundam

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter 11: Ghost in the Gundam

Dark eyes gazed intently at the screen as it replayed the same strip of film over and over again. Wufei had watched the footage of the Deathscythe's attack almost a hundred times by now, but he continued to stare at the screen. He kept hoping that he would see something-- anything that he hadn't caught before. Some vital piece of information would somehow catch his eye and make this mystery come together. But all he saw was the same things he had watched dozens of times before.

"So Wufei," Sally announced as she approached. "Got any good news for me?"

The young Chinese man finally tore his eyes from the screen to look at her. "Oh yeah, great news," he said dully. "Every time I watch this film it becomes more apparent to me that the pilot is none other than our own Duo Maxwell."

Sally half expected this, but she still looked surprised. "Duo? Are you sure?"

"The way the Gundam attacke--even how it moves and holds itself is all Duo's style. Attacking a city so pointlessly like that, however, isn't like him. Maxwell may have been a bit off his rocker, but I never would have thought he would do something like this."

"Maybe it's a trick," Sally suggested. "Someone out there wants us to think that it's Duo in that thing. They--"

She was cut off as Wufei shook his head in immediate disagreement.

"That's where the news gets even better," he told her. "Duo disappeared more than three days ago. No one knows where he went or what happened to him."

Sally blinked in surprise. The unthinkable could very well be exactly what was happening. "Do you really think it was Duo piloting that Gundam?" she asked, hoping he had another idea to explain what was going on.

"I don't see any other explanation," Wufei replied, shattering her hopes.

Sally sighed. "Then the only question left is where did he get the Gundam? They were all destroyed more than three years ago, weren't they?"

"Yes," Wufei nodded. "Without a doubt. Someone must have rebuilt at least that one. And I bet it has something to do with whoever was attacking the colonies."

"What?" Sally demanded. "You're saying the same guy who attacked the colonies with mobile dolls is now attacking Earth with gundams? It makes no sense!"

The chirping of the panel communicator made its opinion known next. Sally picked up the receiver and put it to her ear.

"Major Sally here...yes?"

Wufei watched and listened quietly as Sally finished her conversation.

"What? Are you sure? Are you looking into it? Yes, I'll tell him."

Wufei looked at her expectantly as Sally hung up the phone.

"Even more good news," Sally explained. "That was Commander Une. She says Quatre Winner disappeared during the Gundam attack along with another young woman. They suspect a kidnaping. Commander Une thought you should know."

Wufei didn't say anything when he heard this. Instead, he only turned his head and furrowed his brow in thought.

"What are you thinking?" Sally asked.

Wufei didn't turn look at her as he replied. "Just wondering if two Gundam Pilots missing within the same week is more than just coincidence."

Sally's eyes widened. She hadn't thought of it like that. And she didn't have an answer.

* * *

Quatre awoke to a buzzing in his ears. He lifted his head as his eyes fluttered open. His body felt heavy and light at the same time. An after affect of the knock-out gas no doubt. He blinked in the darkness that surrounded him, trying to remember what happened. He recalled the Gundam attack and then climbing into the cab with Candy and then nothing. Quatre blinked again. What about Candy?

He gazed around him in the dim light and saw a smaller figure laying beside him. Quatre placed a hand on her shoulder; she appeared to be fine. Nevertheless, only half of him was glad to see her. It was reassuring to know that as of the present moment she was okay, but Quatre would have rathered she was far away and safe than in here.

"Candy," he called as he gently shook her. "Wake up."

The young girl moaned slightly and sat up on her knees.

"Are you okay?" Quatre asked.

"I feel dizzy," Candy replied quietly. She immediately noticed the dimness of her surroundings. "What happened? Where are we?"

"I don't know," Quatre regretted to tell her. Three of the four walls surrounding them were of solid rock while the fourth had iron bars. "Looks like we're in a cell of some kind."

Candy snapped to attention then. "You mean we're prisoners? We've been kidnaped? What on Earth for?"

The blonde young man shook his head. "I don't know. But I think it might be me they were after. I'm sorry Candy, I'm sorry I got you involved."

She purposefully ignored the apology. "So you think they're going to ransom you or something?'

"I don't know," Quatre repeated. "I just don't know."

He got up and started pacing in front of the cell bars, trying to figure out their new situation. He should have known something was wrong when that calm cab driver pulled up during the attack. He should have realized something wasn't right by the way that man looked and acted. But he was too busy thinking about the Gundam at their backs at the time to worry about it. But was that the whole point? Was the whole attack really set up just to capture him? That hardly seemed logical. What was wasted for the means hardly justified the ends. Perhaps there was another reason for the attack and he was just a bonus prisoner. But at this point, Quatre could never be sure.

Candy sat with her back leaning against the side wall, knees pulled up to her chest. She silently watched as Quatre paced back and forth in front of her. She marveled about how calm he was in their current situation. It was as if he had dealt with this sort of thing before. Candy smiled as her imagination suddenly took off with her. She could picture him living a secret, double life no one else knew of. Like Bruce Wayne, a calm, seemingly harmless and pacifist billionaire to the public while, at night, he would secretly go out and right the wrongs of the world. A real life hero of the people and Candy had stumbled onto his secret. Oh, how wonderfully exciting and romantic that would be if it were real.

Candy was smiling despite herself when she noticed Quatre was watching her. He had a hand resting on one of the bars while the other was at his hip. The faint light from the corridor highlighted his tall frame. He gazed down at her with intense, dark eyes and for a brief moment Candy thought she indeed saw him as more than what he claimed to be and her heart took off.

Quatre must have noticed her change in expression and mistook it for something else. His features softened as he moved to sit down beside her. Candy was glad for the darkness so he couldn't see the radiant flush she was feeling in her cheeks.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked with concern as he put an arm around her shoulders.

Candy looked up into his face with wonder. He was so unlike everyone else she knew. For as long as she had known him she never felt like he was pretending to be anything else than what he was, and yet he seemed to be more than what he showed. That, in and of itself, seemed like an amazing phenomenon and Candy found herself holding her breath when he touched her.

In the darkness, Quatre mistook her reaction for that of fear and pulled her closer.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

She willingly leaned against him. His embrace was so warm and he smelled good, even in this dank place. Candy leaned her cheek on his shoulder so he wouldn't see her smile. Secretly, she had always dreamed of things like this. Dangerous adventures far away from her boring life and always with a hero by her side. Though she would never admit it out loud, this was kind of fun.

* * *

Professor G looked up as a thin figure walked into the windowless warehouse.

"Where have you been?" the old man berated. There was a hint of annoyance in his usually emotionless voice.

"Out," Felicia said coldly. "What do you care anyway? I came back, didn't I?"

"But if you had been here earlier, you would have seen this," Professor G said as he brought up footage of the Deathscythe's earlier rampage on screen.

Felicia watched the giant metal monster destroy buildings with fading interest.

"So? A giant mobile suit started attacking Earth. It's not like this would be the first time."

"It's called a Gundam," Professor G argued. "And that particular model was my own design. It was my greatest masterpiece and I want it back."

The dark haired young woman returned his gaze lazily. "So what do you expect me to do, go out and get it for you?"

The Professor never skipped a beat. "Why not? You were trained for that very thing, were you not?"

Felicia jumped to attention at that revelation. "What? You can't be serious! Do you know how long it's been since I trained for that? Not to mention the fact that I've never actually done it before. You can't expect me to pull that off, I'm too rusty."

"Then what better opportunity to brush up on old skills," Professor G stated as he moved off. "Now, the name of this particular Gundam is the Deathscythe..."

Felicia was quick to follow after him. "Hold on, I can't--"

"Here's the schematics," the professor continued on, pulling a paper out of the printer and shoving it in her face. "Pay extra attention to the cloaking device. You're going to have to know how to use it."

"But can't we just--"

"You will go out first thing tomorrow. I'll let you know where to go to find the Gundam."

"Tomorrow? I don't--"

"You'll have to activate the cloaking device the second you get rid of the pilot to escape detection. If not--"

"Woa, woa, hold on just one damn minute here!" Felicia exclaimed. "I didn't hook up with you guys to be your personal little assassin. No one told me I'd end up having to kill anybody. The deal was that I would sign on as a guinea pig for that stupid system of yours. But offing gundam pilots was not in my job description."

The old man, who had been silently standing with his back turned, suddenly whirled around to face the taller young woman.

"Your job will be whatever I say it is," he announced. "You pretend otherwise, but I know what you came here looking for. I will personally make sure you never get it unless you do whatever tasks I tell you. Do we understand each other?"

The two stared each other down for what seemed like several minutes. Finally, Felicia caved.

"Fine," she mumbled begrudgingly. "I'll do it." She turned and started for the room she slept in, covering a yawn. "Let me have a good sleep and then I'll go swipe a car, toaster, or gundam. Whatever you want."

Professor G stayed quiet as he heard the door open and close as Felicia left the room. Then the old man instantly set about his own task. He had taken care of the means of capturing the gundam, the only trick now was finding it. And it wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

It was late. So late it was early. The child sleeping in Heero Yuy's bed slumbered peacefully as night drifted into morning. His young, innocent mind carelessly took him to places far beyond the small, crumbling apartment where he slept. Only a few paces away in the next room sat Heero as he fiddled with an odd looking contraption that seemed to be made and mutated out of his old tv and computer.

The colony they were stationed on was still pretty much abandoned. The colony's government currently lacked the funds in which to repair it, so it remained uninhabited for the moment. And because of this, the colony's broadcasting satellite and everything that went with it was down. With that out of commission, Heero truly was cut off from the rest of the world. With that problem facing him, Heero had spent the whole day in attempt to get back in tune with the universe's current events; using his own devices.

Heero's eyes lighted slightly when he tapped a few keys and the computer system started to respond. On top of the monitor rotated a tiny dish that was connected to a much larger model that had been recently erected on top of the building. With fingers flying over the keyboard, Heero searched the cosmos for a signal he could ride on. It took a few minutes, but he was finally able to pick up a rather fuzzy news broadcast.

The screen's color was horribly off and he had to strain his ears to pick up the words of the anchor woman, but Heero continued to watch. She was talking about some kind of attack on Earth. Heero wasn't too surprised to hear that. But when some certain footage was played on screen, Heero couldn't help but identify the horribly familiar image instantly.

Kade was jolted from sleep when the lights were suddenly flipped on and a bundle of clothes were tossed on top of him. The young boy rubbed his eyes sleepily and blinked at the figure standing stoically above him.

"Get dressed," Heero ordered without explanation. "We are leaving. Now."

* * *

Somewhere between the colonies and Earth floated an invisible station. It remained undetected and unseen as the only resident inside it worked tirelessly at the controls. Fingers danced over an almost uncountable number of keys. They seemed to stretch everywhere. A number of satellite images from Earth and the colonies alike showed up on multiple screens overhead. Small, intelligent eyes watched them all simultaneously.

But a few certain images, specifically from Earth, caught the attention of the owner of the grand spy station. A hand reached out to grab the phone and dial a certain number.

"Yes?" Professor G asked as he picked up his end after the second ring.

The voice at the other end was calm and emotionless, much like his own.

"I have located it."

* * *

"Get up!"

That sound penetrated Felicia's sleep before she felt a kick in the ribs. The force of the blow wasn't hard enough to cause any serious damage. But it was enough to push her off her cot and it did hurt.

"Ouch! Damnit!" Felicia cursed as she fell on the floor and clutched her side. She glared at the hunched form of Professor G standing over her. "What the hell's the matter with you? Can't I even get a few hours sleep around here?"

"Quit your pathetic whining," the professor snapped back. "The Gundam has been spotted. If you want to catch it, you'll have to leave now."

"I don't want to catch it," Felicia informed him curtly as she curled up on the floor. "If you want it so bad, you go get it and let me sleep."

She was instantly rewarded with another kick in the ribs.

"You'll go out there and get that Gundam now, because I will personally make sure you don't get another wink of sleep until you do."

Her defiance overshadowed by her fatigue, this time Felicia only gave out a large sigh, got up, and then trudged away tiredly after the aged scientist.

* * *

Somewhere off on one of the many scattered colonies, oblivious to just about everything that had happened on Earth, was Trowa. He was sitting at a chair, sharpening his sister's decorated daggers which they used for one of their acts. Across the way on the sofa was Cathrine. She had one foot propped up on the small coffee table in front of her while she painted her toenails. Both looked up when the circus manager stepped into their trailer.

"It looks like we're not going down to Earth as scheduled," he announced.

"Why not?" Cathrine asked. "The crowds love us down there." Not only that, but Cathrine had always loved going down to Earth. She had been born there after all, and she always excited about the chance of going back whenever they visited the planet.

"There's trouble brewing down there," the manager went on. "One of the main cities was attacked the other day. It could soon mean another war."

"Oh no, not again," Cathrine fretted.

"Perhaps we could go down there and merely stay away from those areas attacked," Trowa suggested placidly.

The manager rubbed his beard in thought. "Maybe we could do that. We'll have to see what's going on when it's time to leave. My main worry is just getting down there. I don't want to chance it if it becomes unsafe to travel between the colonies and Earth. But I'll tell you what kids, we'll give it a try."

"That's the spirit!" Cathrine cheered. "We're not going to let a bunch of political bullies control where we go."

Trowa merely nodded in agreement.

The manager was about to head out when another thought entered his mind.

"You know Trowa, I'm surprised you seem so adamant about going back to Earth. Especially since you have some ties to whoever attacked that city."

"What do you mean by that?" asked the thin young man.

"Didn't you know? It was a gundam that attacked the city."

"A gundam," Cathrine gasped, the boldness of her earlier statement had disappeared at the very mention of that word. The figures that would always haunt her in her nightmares. The monstrous metal beasts that she feared would ultimately take her brother from her for good.

"Are you sure it was a gundam?" was all Trowa said.

"That's what everyone else says it was," the manager replied. "It's strange since you claim all the gundams were destroyed."

Trowa nodded again.

"Even stranger was the fact that there seemed to be a kidnaping during the attack as well. The media is almost making a bigger story out of that then the gundam incident."

"Who was it?" Cathrine asked.

"Some boy billionaire. That Winner kid, I think. Well, good night you two."

The two circus performers fell silent as the manager left their trailer. Cathrine conti nued staring at the door after it closed. Then her wide-eyed gaze turned to settle on her younger brother. She could already guess what was hatching in his mind. He had a far off look in his eye as he stayed deep in thought. He finally stood and Cathrine was quick to jump in his way.

"Trowa, if you're planning what I think you're planning you can forget it! I'm not letting you leave this circus, you got that!"

Unaffected with the threat, Trowa looked his older sister in the eyes. "I have to go," he told her simply.

"Why?" Cathrine demanded as Trowa moved off to start gathering supplies for his new mission. "You don't even know where to start looking for him. And it's dangerous Trowa, you could get killed trying to find him. Why would you want to risk everything like that?"

Trowa suddenly stopped and turned to look at her again. Cathrine gasped as she could see the emotion clearly in his eyes.

"Because," he told her plainly. "He would do the same for me."

All Cathrine could do was blink at that statement. She managed to regain her senses when she heard her brother open the door.

"Trowa!" she called after him. "Please! Don't go! What about me?"

He paused and looked back at her questioningly. Cathrine's eyes were starting to water.

"What about me?" she asked again in a quieter voice. "What am I suppose to do if you don't come back?"

A look of regret crossed Trowa's features. He didn't get a chance to reply before Cathrine threw herself at him and buried her face in his chest.

"Please, let me come with you," she whispered. "I don't want you doing this alone if I could help you."

Trowa pulled away and looked kindly into her eyes. "Stay here Cathrine," he told her. "I promise I'll come back and I'll bring Quatre back with me."

Now, all that was left to do for Cathrine was stand and watch as her dear brother walked off and disappeared into the night.

"Trowa..."

* * *

It was a moonless night as a dark figure stood in boredom at the top of a grassy hill. Wild grass and weeds grew tall around her and swayed in the breeze. Felicia sighed and then plopped heavily on the ground. Where the hell was that stupid gundam thing? That crazy old professor said it would be coming to this area. Why couldn't it just appear so she could get this done and over with and go back to bed?

Felicia sighed again when she thought about the lumpy old mattress back at the warehouse. Right now it sounded like the best place to be in the entire universe. Her body felt so heavy with her fatigue; and carrying around all the extra gear she had been given didn't help much.

_If I do manage to get that gundam, with my luck, I'll probably fall asleep in the cockpit on the way home and crash._ Felicia thought tiredly. _Oh well. At least if I died I'd finally get some sleep._

The thought was ended with a low rumble and shaking of the earth. Felicia slowly got to her feet again and gazed over the open field to the city below. In the moonlight, a hulking mass of black, shining metal appeared just before the city limits.

"Well, what do you know, the old coot was right," Felicia said to herself. She glanced at the watch on her wrist. "Twenty minutes late though. They're not so perfect."

She gazed once again at the Deathscythe's silhouette as it started slowly towards the city and let out a deep breath. Her muscles quivered with anticipation as she knew she was in for a rough ride. Reaching into the thick weeds, Felicia pulled up a roughly put together motorcycle and mounted it. The thing looked like it was salvaged from a junk yard--which was probably true. It made a horrible grinding sound when it was started and the engine clanked like it was going to explode at any second. But it was better than walking and it was all Felicia had.

"Lousy piece of junk," she mumbled nonetheless. "I hope they appreciate all I'm doing here--that is, if I live through this."

And with that, she was off to face her giant metal foe.

The closer to the monstrosity she rode, the wider Felicia's eyes got. This thing was gigantic! Though she would never admit it out loud, this mission was starting to look quite impossible. She could just feel the odds of her living through this falling ever faster against her. But the alternative to this mission left her with nothing, so she was going to see it through to the end.

The motorcycle was almost right next to the walking war machine and Felicia's heart was going a thousand miles a minute. She removed one hand from the handle bars and rooted through her bag, producing two round disks. While still driving, she slipped the straps on the disks over her hands and then looked at the large leg of the gundam moving next to her.

_This is it,_ she thought. _God protect my broken body._

The amen to her prayer was a final deep breath as she steeled her muscles and suddenly lunged from the bike towards her target. The leg of the mighty Deathscythe came up fast and Felicia's body hit it hard. The disks on her hands instantly stuck to the metal and Felicia was whisked away as the gundam took another step.

"Well, now that the hard part's over with, it's time for the harder part," Felicia grunted. Already she could feel every bruise she acquired from her jump.

From then on, the going was extremely slow. Felicia was hanging on for dear life as the leg jerked forward with each step. In the sparse second between each stride the young woman would dare to tear one hand away from the only thing that kept her from falling to her death and move and bit higher.

She was almost all the way up to what could be considered the gundam's thigh when it reached the large buildings of the city. Felicia closed her eyes and held on tight as Deathscythe pulled out its trademark weapon and slashed at the nearest building. The force of the jerk alone felt powerful enough to rip Felicia's bones from her skin. She even whimpered a bit as the debris started falling all around her, but otherwise held on.

The counter swing of the gundam's weapon tore up a second building. Felicia still had enough wits about her to take advantage of the opportunity of the gundam standing still. She quickly shimmied up the side several more paces, reaching up to Deathscythe's waist. But it was then that the metal monster pivoted to reach its new target. Felicia actually screamed out loud as she was thrown into the side of a half demolished building.

Lucky for her, there was no longer a brick wall where she impacted. The force of the turn this time was great enough to throw her right off the side of the gundam. Her dark clad body flew into an open apartment whose wall had been torn away previously. No one else was in it at the time as most of the tenants had already evacuated the building. Felicia was dashed over the top of someone's kitchen counter and into the back of a sofa from the other room before she came to a stop.

For several seconds she remained still before moaning and coming to life once more. Felicia hissed through her teeth as she clutched at her bleeding shoulder. Fresh blood oozed between her gloved fingers. She stumbled to her feet, leaning on the badly upholstered sofa until her vision cleared.

"That's it," she growled lowly. "Whoever is steering that thing, that bastard is dead!"

She limped lightly back to the gaping hole in the wall and pulled a gun-like contraption from her bag. Getting the chest of the gundam in her sites, she fired another, larger suction disk which was attached to a rope. It hit its mark perfectly. Felicia hurried to tie the other end to a part of the building's frame that was poking out of the decimated ruble. She then proceeded to climb the rope, once again in attempt to reach her destination.

But as her luck had been going all night, she didn't get far when the Deathscythe advanced and the rope tied to the building snapped. Felicia was sent flying towards the large machine now. But this time, she wasn't about to get knocked down. Bracing herself, she put her feet out and somehow managed to land almost perpendicular to the gundam's chest. Getting a new grip on her rope, Felicia bravely proceeded to half walk, half climb up to the cock pit.

The Deathscythe was moving again when she finally reached her destination. Getting the best foot hold she could on the shiny metal, Felicia let go of the rope with one hand and withdrew a few more odd objects from her pack. It was several more excruciating minutes as she welded her way into the mobile suit's wires and hooked up her own manual control with only one hand. It took a few more minutes of fiddling with frequencies before the light on her panel went green and the cockpit door hissed open.

Felicia practically dropped everything at this point and reached for her gun. This was going to be one surprised gundam pilot. Not wasting a second, Felicia swung herself onto the open cockpit panel and aimed for the pilot seat.

"Alright buddy, prepare to--huh?"

She froze and blinked in confusion. The Deathscythe's small cockpit was completely empty.

"What the hell--?" Felicia continued to wonder out loud as she cautiously took a few steps forward. The lights on the panels were on and blinking and came to life as the gundam took another step. Felicia lowered her gun and sighed tiredly as she let herself drop into the pilot's seat.

"All this time I was tracking a damn remote controlled play toy."

With not much else to do, Felicia closed the cockpit door and set about over riding the commands of whoever it was that controlled the Deathscythe's actions.

"Easiest task I've done all night," Felicia smiled to herself as it only took mere seconds before the Deathscythe was completely under her control. Her smile disappeared as the early warning sensors went off and a handful off air fighters could be seen on radar.

"Uh oh, you're not out of the fire yet, girl," she told herself as she started working the controls. "Let's just see how well I can pilot this thing."

From outside, the Deathscythe suddenly spread its great, bat-like metal wings and took off into the air and out of the city. But unfortunately, this gundam wasn't made for flying. It only got so far before it had to come back down again. But Felicia had enough sense to activate the cloaking device before it landed.

Once undetectable from the fighter's radar, she was safe--for the moment.

"Now to get this heap of metal back to the warehouse. I have a feeling this is going to take hours." Felicia closed her eyes and slumped tiredly in her seat. "I don't think anyone in this galaxy could possibly have it worse than me tonight."

* * *

The two captives looked up as two armed guards appeared on the other side of the bars. Candy instinctively grabbed Quatre's sleeve. She had a feeling something was going to happen and it wasn't good.

"Get up boy," one of the guards spoke. "The doctor wants to see you."

Candy's eyes went wider in fear as he obediently stood.

"Quatre, don't," she pleaded.

He looked down at her calmly and even managed a smile of reassurance.

"It's okay. Stay there, everything will be okay."

The young girl watched, at a loss of what to do as Quatre was led out of the cell and to parts unknown. Quatre's only thoughts at the time were that as long as he cooperated with these strangers he could keep Candy safe. It was his fault this had happened to her. He would do everything in his power to protect her.

Down a number of halls he was marched until they reached a white, sterile room full of all sorts of strange devices. There was also a bed of some sort propped up at an angle with bindings attached. Before Quatre could even realize it was meant for him, the guards had already restrained and strapped him in.

A woman with fiery hair and cold, dark eyes walked in dressed in a white lab coat.

"So, you're Quatre Winner," she smiled falsely at him. "Pilot 04 of the Gundam Sandrock. Interesting."

Quatre struggled against the straps binding his wrists.

"What do you want with me?" he asked.

Dr. Karren didn't acknowledge the question as she moved out of his rage of vision

"At least let my friend go," Quatre tried again. "If it's me you want, let her go. She's not part of this. She's no use to you."

"Perhaps," Dr. Karren spoke without emotion as she came back. "But I think I'd be correct in assuming that as long as I have her captive you'll do whatever I want. That makes it more convenient for me."

She reached over him and pulled out a strange contraption that hovered slightly above his head. It almost reminded him of those old fashioned hair dryers you would see women sitting at in salons in the movies. Was this woman a scientist or a hair dresser?

"What are you going to do with me?" Quatre asked again as the doctor turned her back to look over her instruments. Again the question went unnoticed.

When Dr. Karren turned back around, she had a syringe full of clear liquid in her hands.

"Just calm down Mr. Winner," she said as she let the liquid flow over the needle to get rid of the air bubbles. "This will all be over soon."


	12. Chapter 12: The Great Breakout

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter 12: The Great Break Out

Relena drummed her fingers on her desk worriedly. She had locked herself up in her office ever since the first gundam attack which she, unfortunately, got a first hand view of. It was the first time she had looked upon a gundam and felt truly afraid. That same feeling still stuck in her gut even now as she relieved the incident over and over in her mind. She had been frozen in fear after staring down the hulking Deathscythe eye to optic. It was only by Dorothy's calm and quick thinking that she was still alive today.

The young delegate bit her lip as the older woman came to mind. She never thought the time would could come where she would actually owe her life to Dorothy Catalonia. She never pictured Dorothy as one to go out of her way to give her such reason to. But enough dwelling on that.

Relena rubbed her temples as the stress of the situation took its toll on her yet again. Cities all over the galaxy were being attacked for no reason at all. Half of the people were in panic while the other half was screaming for revenge. But revenge on who? Even if a war did break out, who would they be fighting? And for what reason? They would attack merely to keep from being attacked? To risk lives without reason or a specified purpose would surely give rise to chaos and ultimately be the end of all of them. To take up arms without a noble cause resulted in nothing more than bloodbaths. The lives lost in such endeavors are lost in vain, no matter who wins.

A tear fell unbidden down Relena's cheek and her shoulders shuttered. Her world was careening out of control and she could do nothing to stop it. She had tried several times to contact her brother on Mars. She desperately needed his help and support. Unfortunately, ever since the first gundam attack, all communications from the red planet had ceased to work. Not like they worked all that well before the attacks anyway.

The communications officers of Earth were doing their best to establish a link again, but were so far unsuccessful though they assured Relena that everything on the planet itself was fine. Perhaps it was the mobile dolls out in the colonies that had messed up the radars. But satellites had confirmed that Mars was currently not occupied by them.

Despite all the assurances, Relena still couldn't get rid of the panic rising in her gut. One more day without word from Millardo and she was sure she would go crazy. It wasn't fare. None of the stories she read ever ended like this. Even when things looked their worst you still knew the heros were out there doing their best to set things right. But Relena's heros had disappeared and she knew not where to find them. Looking around, her silent, empty office remained as a cruel reminder of how alone she really was. She had tried so hard to carry on alone, but she had pushed herself to its limits and could go no farther. Surrounded by everything familiar to her, Relena was as good as lost without any friends to guide her. And she cried.

* * *

Felicia stumbled away from the Deathscythe's hulking form where it had found a new home inside the large warehouse-like building. She had only spent one night with that metal monstrosity and already she hated it. It stared at her accusingly like an undead soul unallowed to rest. There was just a dark feeling about the whole thing she didn't like.

The job was over so she wouldn't have to look at it any more. Now was time for sleep. Glorious, wonderful, blissful unconsciousness. How Felicia's whole body ached for it. She was becoming aware of a heat rising up from her collar and spreading across her face to her forehead. The rest of her body shivered with a chill and her breathing was a bit labored. Damn that psychotic scientist! All those hellish experiments and late night missions had gotten her sick! Time to take a pill and sleep it off for the next week.

"Where do you think you're going?" Professor G called behind her.

Felicia turned and gave a look that asked if he was retarded for not knowing the answer.

"Your task isn't finished yet," the old man went on.

"What!" Felicia screeched. "What do you mean I'm not done? You've got the damn gundam. Do you want me to wash and wax it now, too?"

"No," Professor G said as he approached, ignoring the theatrics. "I need you to go get something else for me. This pilot."

He held up a picture of a young man with large, violet eyes. He had a boyish grin and thick, brown hair that fell over his eyes and was pulled back in a long braid. Felicia snatched the picture from him and inspected it.

"Hey, I've seen the guy before," she announced. "Who is he anyway?"

"The original pilot of my Deathscythe," the professor told her. "He is being held by the same people who sent out the gundam. But now that we have it, he will be of no use to them. There is a plane all ready for you to--"

"Now?" Felicia whined pitifully. "You want me to go spring this guy now? Can't it wait for a few hours?"

"No, it must be done now! It may already be too late for my pilot. They have to know their gundam is gone by now. We must hurry."

Felicia hung her head in defeat and whimpered. Nonetheless, she reluctantly trudged after the shorter old man. She had a feeling this night would be the end of her.

* * *

It was coming back. He could feel it. His stomach lurched and his throat clenched as he felt those sickeningly familiar emotions returning. That hatred. The hatred for nothing and everything that tainted his heart. And that maddening fear. That frantic urge to fight, destroy; to change the world at all cost before it spun into utter chaos like it had inside his own soul.

The feeling took over though he tried with all his might to fight it. Next, his blood froze in his veins as he unwillingly began to see those visions that still haunted his nightmares. His heart broke fresh again as he watched his father perish before his eyes in a fiery inferno. Within those same flames he saw them as well. The faces of the many brave solders he had murdered in battle. Their faces frozen in terror as their lives were extinguished in masses. Their blood thickly coated the four walls of his world as their voices cried out in agony. His own friend and comrade; suffering for his madness as his mobile suit flew up into space before exploding.

But the cries of injustice and murder were trampled out by a massive form with no care or respect for what they died for. The cold, unfeeling machine of destruction that had and always would be a part of him. He had once thought of the Gundams as the guardians that would ultimately save mankind. Now they seemed like demons to him. Demons that had stolen his youth and innocence and left him with nothing but a tarnished soul for his crimes. The sins of the devil machines were on his head and he would forever be damned to hell for them.

Mentally and emotionally overwhelmed by the pictures and feelings bombarding his senses, Quatre could practically feel his soul tearing apart inside him and he cried out in complete and utter anguish.

* * *

Candy raised her head from her folded up knees when she heard footsteps approaching the door of her dark prison. Two large silhouettes stood in the light from the corridor while a limp figure hung between them. The cell door swung open and Candy's heart dropped into her stomach as the lifeless body was tossed inside and the other two figures left.

"Quatre?" Candy asked the motionless form as panic clung to her chest.

She crawled closer and discovered that it was indeed him. Further inspection revealed that the blonde young man wasn't as motionless as she initially thought. His eyes were, in fact, wide open and they glinted wildly in the dim light. His whole body was shaking slightly.

"Quatre?" Candy called again as she placed a worried hand on his shoulder.

Quatre let out a cry of fear at being touched and instantly curled up into a trembling, whimpering ball. This scared Candy. She couldn't believe the current state he was in. What happened to him? Now shaking as well, Candy slowly crawled up next to him. Very carefully she touched him again and slowly began stoking his hair.

"Quatre, it's me. It's Candy. You're safe now. You're with me. I'll take care of you, Quatre."

The skin on his face was cold and clammy with sweat as she stroked his cheek. Quatre's eyes remained unfocused as incoherent mutterings escaped under his breath. Candy blinked as tears began to sting her eyes.

"What did they do to you?" she whispered.

She continued to stroke his hair and speak softly to him. After a while of coaxing, she managed to maneuver him into a somewhat sitting position. There she leaned against the cold stone wall of their dark cell and held Quatre's trembling body against her. The scared young man had his face now buried in her shoulder as he clutched her for dear life. Candy held him to her and continued to calm and soothe him the best she could. She didn't want to even think about what those monsters could have possibly done to reduce him to this state. Now she had to be the strong one for both of them. But as she gazed around their cold, damp prison, Candy couldn't stop the tear that slid down her cheek. This wasn't fun any more.

* * *

"Dr. Karren."

"Yes, Mr. Underwood?"

The fiery haired woman bowed to the figure in the shadows. The voice of Mr. Underwood sounded less that pleased.

"Where have you been? I sent for you hours ago."

"I'm sorry sir, I was working on--"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING!" A powerful fist smashed against the metal desk "I AM MISSING A GUNDAM! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!"

Dr. Karren narrowed her eyes but kept her posture submissive.

"What would you like me to do about it?" she asked through clenched teeth.

The man in the shadows stood up and started pacing. "Find it! Find who's responsible and tell me how they did it so it won't happen again! I must find that gundam!"

The female doctor breathed out heavily. "Yes sir."

She stomped down the halls after she left the room. Who did he think she was? She couldn't just pull the lost Deathscythe out of thin air and tell him what happened. Wouldn't someone else be better for this task? She was off doing her part--formatting another AI battle program from the Sandrock pilot's memory so he could have another metal puppet to play with.

Dr. Karren was in a sour mood now. It had almost canceled out the fun she had experienced earlier when extracting battle data from that rich, blonde brat.

"That incompetent bastard!" she announced, once reaching the sanctuary of her laboratory. "How can one loose something that size after only a few days! You tell me," she then added as she turned to a figure strapped to a table. "It was your gundam after all."

The breathing of the person on the table was shallow and uneven. The skin color was pale and sickly and dry. The wrists and ankles tightly bound were red and raw from long term restraint. Long strands of chestnut hair stuck stubbornly to the pale forehead while the rest fell in a messy braid off the side of the table. His violet eyes remained half open but unfocused as Dr. Karren stared down at him.

Duo Maxwell was the name of her hostage. He had been picked up after trying to leave a certain colony where an army of mobile dolls had suddenly turned on each other. Dr. Karren was disappointed to say the least when he was brought in instead of a certain other pilot of which she was sure had been the cause of defeating the mobile dolls. But she had to make do with what she had.

Duo had survived the formatting process far better than his comrade Quatre Winner. Dr. Karren had invented a machine that could actually see and record a person's thoughts and memories. However, the draw back of the device was that it relayed these memories all at once and was often too much for the person to deal with and resulted in traumatic after affects. But the strong willed Deathscythe pilot seemed to have made it out of his encounter with little after affects. Apparently he had come to terms with most of his demons beforehand.

On the reverse side, this Sandrock pilot they currently had in their custody had suffered the worst Dr. Karren had ever seen and it had intrigued her. Pain and suffering of others always did. And with such crippling affects of her patient, she figured it was safe to lock the blonde young man back up again. He could do no harm in his current state. Unlike a certain brown haired pilot who had been a constant pain in her ass.

Dr. Karren glared at the incarcerated pilot as she thought about all the trouble he put her through. The second Duo had recovered from the treatment, he was off. No room nor cell nor barricade could hold the young man for very long. Duo Maxwell proved himself to have more determination and energy than one person should rightfully have.

Of course, the female scientist could have none of that. Mr. Underwood was unaware she still had the pilot in custody. So, to keep him under control, he was strapped back to his table and kept under heavy sedation around the clock. Unfortunately for Duo, not only did the sedatives make him sleepy and slow, they also made him sick and he could not hold down any food while under their influence. While Dr. Karren managed to keep her lab spick and span, there was still evidence on Duo's clothes of earlier messes. And since the doctor was getting tired of cleaning up the mess, she decided to cut off the source of the problem and stop feeding him.

But now that was all over. With the gundam gone, her employer would be down here soon enough looking for quick replacements. Dr. Karren wanted to save what was left of the Deathscythe pilot for further experiments, but the last thing she needed was more heat on her if they were ever discovered by Mr. Underwood.

"Well gundam pilot," she told the sedated Duo. "Looks like I have no more use for you."

* * *

Felicia coughed weakly as a chilly wind whipped through her hair. She was cold and feverish and tired. And stalking around outside in this weather was the last place she ever wanted to be. She shivered through her black jacket in the night breeze and again went over the instructions in her mind.

It came as no surprise to her when Professor G produced a detailed schematic of the large, prison-like compound she was now looking at from atop a grassy hill. But just how the old man managed to continue to get such crucial and guarded information was beyond her. However, hers was not to question why, but to merely do and then take a VERY long nap.

The fortress--or whatever the thing was--looked heavily guarded. Not only by armed guards but all kinds of security devices. But Felicia already knew them all. Where each was stationed and each weakness. Having a photographic memory was certainly an advantage in her line of work. She shifted in the tall grass, rattling the gun holster at her hip. Being aware of the weapon caused her to bite her lip. She was no stranger to weapons, but the orders that went with this one made her feel uneasy.

_"If you find yourself in the situation where you cannot get the pilot out, then get rid of him,"_ Professor G had told her before she departed. _"More important than bringing him back alive is making sure they don't get him. Do what you have to do."_

Felicia almost snorted as she remembered that high and mighty look on his face. Do what she had to do. She had been doing that ever since she had been living with that creep! What an asshole! She'd show him! She'd get his damn pilot for his damn gundam and then he had better tell her what she wanted to know, damnit! Or she would---

The young woman paused in her mental cursing when a bit of movement in the shadows of the compound caught her eye. She blinked and looked again. Maybe she was just seeing things. No, wait. There was a figure out there past the security fences skulking around the very place she had been scoping out. A few blinks of disbelief and the figure was gone. No doubt having used the entrance SHE was going to use to get in! Who was this guy and how did he know the same things she did?

Not to be outdone by some faceless skulking figure, Felicia was on her feet and sprinting towards the parameter fence. With her running start, her skilled body was able to jump the eight foot height as she had been trained to do. She landed softly in the grass on the other side but then fell to her knees as a sudden wave of dizziness swept over her. Clutching her head, she tried to get the pain in her temples to subside before going on. She managed to make it to the wall of the building itself without being discovered. Felicia had to fight to keep her breathing under control as she fought the shivers brought on by her ever growing fever and the chilly night air. She knew she had to do this fast before she would loose the ability to do it at all.

The vent at her side was loose from whoever had entered previous. Felicia crawled into the musky shaft slowly. Whoever was her fellow interloper, she wanted to find out about them first before they became aware of her. It was almost pitch black in the dark metal tunnel and Felicia dared not turn on a light to see. But she could feel from the path of brushed away dust and cobwebs that someone had indeed gone through this way only moments before. A light could be seen up ahead and Felicia turned up the stealth as she neared it.

Her body was still shaking with a chill and she fought to keep it under control as she reached the end of her dark journey. Gazing out from the metal mesh, the dimly lit hall below her seemed to be empty. Slowly, quietly she removed the hatch and lowered herself to the shiny, yellowish floor. Felicia noted how much the place reminded her of a hospital as she replaced the vent grate. Everything was clean and spotless and, much to Felicia's displeasure, left little space for her to hide if anyone should suddenly come down. With that in mind, the dark haired young woman pulled out her gun.

She listened carefully to the stillness of the place while she checked the silencer. She would not be using mere darts this time. This time it would be a life or death situation. In other words, if anyone who got in her way wanted to keep their lives, it would have to mean her death. The situation did not thrill Felicia any, but she still knew it quite well and was prepared to do it whatever the outcome. This harrowing night wasn't over, and it still could very well be her last.

A muffled, heavy sound caught her keen ears and Felicia jumped to attention. With heart beat reverberating in her head, she tip toed towards the sound. Her gun was ready as she peeked around the corner, but she wasn't prepared for what she beheld.

The crumpled body of one of the late night guardsmen lay lifeless on the floor at the foot of a figure standing over it. The whole scene was mostly contained in the shadows, but the standing figure was tall, thin, and male. Felicia watched curious, but ready as the young man proceeded to dress himself in the guard's uniform. He moved into the light for a sparse moment, but his straight brown hair curtained is face so Felicia couldn't see it.

Once fully dressed, the strange young man took one last precautionary look around before proceeding down the hall. Felicia silently watched him go. Mentally she went over the blueprints of the building inside her head. He was heading to the lower levels. To the holding cells. Interesting. But Felicia's destination was not the same. And as long as this other trespasser stayed out of her way and didn't trip any alarms while doing it, she didn't care.

After taking a deep breath, Felicia turned around and snuck off the opposite way to a destination of her own.

* * *

Candy had long since cried out all the tears she had. All she could do now was sob dryly as she rocked in an almost zombie-like state back and forth. Her eyes were red and swollen. She stared strait ahead into the darkness of her prison as the body of Quatre Winner continued to remain huddled and shuttering in her arms.

She had tried with all her heart to get him to wake up. To calm and assure him. To help him in any way she could. But his condition did not--could not change. It tore her up inside to see him hurt and fear and not be able to do anything about it. The only thing she could do for him was to hold him through his agony and pray that somehow he would snap out of it. And if that was the only thing she could do then by heaven she would do that until her dying breath if needs be.

A single silhouette in the dim light of the cell doorway caused Candy to raise her head. It wasn't as large and broad as most of the other guards that were around, but she hardly brought that fact into consideration when the figure opened the cell door. Dressed fully in a guard's uniform, that was all Candy needed to see before she clutched the body she swore to protect tighter.

"Please, leave him alone," she said with a quivering voice. No one told her how hard it was to really be brave. "Can't you see he's had enough! He can't take any more. Please, if you need someone, take me. Just don't hurt him any more."

Her heartfelt pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears. Candy could feel the fear creep up when she saw no change of emotion from the face of the young man standing before her. His stoic expression was half covered by a curtain of hair, but the one eye she could see was cold and soulless; like a machine. Just the look of it chilled her to the bone. She was frozen in place as the young guard calmly approached and squatted down right next to them. Candy sucked in some air as he put a hand on Quatre's quaking should and looked into his blank, fear stricken eyes with his own merciless cold ones.

"Quatre," he said softly as he shook his shoulder. "Quatre, snap out of it. It's me. Quatre."

Her voice left her when Candy suddenly felt his body relax in her arms and Quatre lifted his head.

"T-Trowa...?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"Yes. It's me."

With tears in his eyes, Quatre weakly raised an arm and touched his comrade's shoulder just to make sure he still wasn't hallucinating. No, Trowa was solid. He really was there.

"Trowa, you came for me..." Quatre could barely get the sentence out before his hand dropped from fatigue.

Candy watched blankly as she caught a wave of emotion pass quickly through the mysterious young man's features. Was he really Quatre's friend? Or an impostor sent to trick Quatre in his unstable state? The young man now presumed as "Trowa" looked up at Candy, his face back to it's usual placid state again.

"Come on," he ordered; calm and without any edge in his voice. He hauled one of Quatre's arms around his neck. "We're going to have to carry him out of here."

Candy nodded and obediently did what she was told. Gritting her teeth, it took all of her strength just to help haul the dead weight body and herself onto her feet. She never would have guessed he weighed this much! She was just wimp; but she was going to do her best to carry him out of this horrible place as far as she could. Once up, Trowa wrapped his free arm around Quatre's waist in attempts to put more of his weight on him and together they slowly moved out of the cell.

* * *

Dr. Karren gazed at the figure laying before her with a smirk. Soiled hair and skin. Noisy uneven breaths coming from parted, cracked and bleeding lips. Huge purple rings engulfed his sunken in eye sockets. It looked as though he hadn't slept in years even though that's all the drugs had been making him do for the past few weeks. His skin could do nothing else but hang pitifully from his bones as the mess of chestnut hair was strewn all about.

As she looked the sorry site over again, Dr. Karren wondered why she had let him live so long. The ex-gundam pilot was hardly even worth keeping now. She might as well get rid of him and save herself time and effort later. She was positioned to administer the lethal injection when the door to the laboratory slid open.

Annoyed at being interrupted by one of the bumbling guards who meandered about the place and tried to hit on her, she raised her head to tell them to take off. Her words, however, died in her throat when she saw a young dark haired girl with a gun raised strait for her head. A bit surprised as well, Felicia still assessed the situation much faster than the female scientist. One woman, hardly a threat. No armed guards. The gun was put away and fists came out. Dr. Karren hardly knew what happened as Felicia grabbed her syringe quick as lightning and punched her in the face. The red haired woman stumbled backwards into her medical supplies and they all went crashing down to the floor with her unconscious. Felicia slammed the deadly needle to the ground with disgust and shattered it.

With the general vicinity now secure, she wiped the sweat from her brow. Was her fever getting worse or have these guys just never heard of air conditioning? Felicia turned to the object of her mission and had to take a step back. Did that pathetic creature laying there used to be a gundam pilot? The look and smell was enough to make her already uneasy stomach lurch and she fought back the urge to vomit. After taking a few swallows, she set about unbuckling the cruel leather straps.

Felicia couldn't help but flinch every time she accidentally brushed his skin when she worked to free him. Would Professor G still even want this pilot if he knew what kind of shape he was in? This Duo Maxwell couldn't possibly be worth it now. Perhaps she should just end his misery and let the demented professor find a new pilot. She might even be doing this guy a favor by keeping him away from that crazy old man. It's not like she had ever killed anyone before, and it would make her job a lot easier, too.

She was seriously considering her options when Duo's large, unfocused eyes slid half way open. Felicia jumped back from the withering form as he attempted to speak. A few incoherent sounds rasped past his lips before he was able to form words.

"I'll live...you see," he whispered, though even that took all his strength. "I'll get out and bomb the shit out of you bastards. Shinigami will...will..."

The young man suddenly spasmed and went through a few dry heaves before falling unconscious again. Felicia just stared as something hit her to the core. He was a survivor like her. He knew what it was like to be hunted and chased. To be used for other's purposes and seen as nothing but a servant--a tool used for other people's dirty work. And Felicia would be damned if she was going to let him die here.

The shackles came off, revealing skin either raw red or green from infection. Felicia did not pull back this time, however. With her gloved hands she grabbed Duo's vomit crusted jacket and slowly pulled him off the table. Getting the lifeless body over her shoulders was easer than she thought. Felicia couldn't believe how light he was. The poor guy. He was nothing but bones and a braid. After adjusting the weight, she started out of the lab. The door closed behind her and her cargo just in time for the security alarms to start blaring in her ear. Felicia, by now, was far from happy.

"Shit."

* * *

Candy looked up and almost hit her head on the top of the ventilation shaft when the alarms started blaring like mad. All the lights went off and red flashing lights swept across the halls. She froze. Oh no, this was it! They were caught for sure!

"Ignore it," Trowa said sternly. "Pay no attention. Grab Quatre and pull him in."

Candy bit her lip and nodded. She steeled her nerves as Trowa hefted Quatre's limp body up to the ventilation shaft where she was crouching. Candy grabbed his collar and used all the strength she could in such an awkward position to pull him in. It took a lot of grunt and strain, but the two managed to pull his entire length inside. The rush of footsteps could be heard running up the hall as Trowa climbed in as well. He barely managed to replace the grate before a handful of guards raced by. As Trowa started to help Candy move Quatre along, he automatically figured the alarm was sent off when someone happened upon their cell and found it empty. He never noticed that the guards weren't even running to that section of the building.

* * *

The alarms were really making a ruckus. Annoyed at what happened, Felicia threw Duo's limp body down--perhaps a little too roughly, and started inspecting him. She swore again when she found a monitoring device hidden in Duo's collar.

"And God looked down from above and said 'I hate you Felicia, go to Hell'," she muttered before she crushed the device in her fist.

How could she have been so stupid? She glanced down at her incarcerated companion. She wasn't sure which one of them had pissed off Fate, but she was convinced some higher power had decreed that one of them wouldn't live through the night. The sound of approaching guards reached her ears and Felicia was almost certain that card would fall to the helpless Duo Maxwell. Nevertheless, she still hefted the useless body onto her shoulders again just as a small handful of armored men rounded the corner at her back.

"Stop right there!" one of the guards ordered. All rifles were aimed right at her.

Felicia glared at the new obstacle behind her. At first glance she counted the number of men she had to face, all the while still being aware of the heavy braid swishing against her hip. She stayed frozen in place as she was ordered, but her hand was traveling slowly to a pouch on her belt.

"Drop the body and put you're hands in the air," the same guard ordered again.

But Felicia still didn't move. Suddenly, she whipped her other hand around and threw a handfull of dust at them. The powder instantly reacted with the air and each other and set off millions of tiny sparks, like countless little strobe lights all at once. With the threat momentarily blinded, Felicia was off. At least, off as fast as was possible with her extra baggage. She threw a smoke bomb behind her retreat as well for extra insurance. Getting out of this place was going to take all the tricks she had.

Speaking of tricks. Now would be a great time to use her favorite one. Reaching into her jacket, Felicia pulled out the time honored "square do-hickey with the red button". She had, of course, taken a few moments to plant some explosives here and there before coming to the lab. And now would be a great time to use them. Heavy tremors rocked the building mere seconds after the button was pushed. Felicia smirked as she could almost feel the panick and confusion rising up from the building's inhabitants. Chaos, as always, was on her side.

Fire and smoke were filling different rooms now as Felicia trudged on as quickly as she could with her load. More smoke detectors were going off everywhere to signal what everyone already knew. Felicia stumbled a bit as she come upon a familiar hall. Her head was becoming muggy and her strength was leaving her. Up ahead was the very same ventilation shaft she had used to enter this place. She lifted the grate, but as heavy footsteps sounded towards her, she dropped it and then continued around the next corner.

The nearby guards heard the clatter and saw the exposed shaft. They instantly set about checking it and filling it with smoke bombs, trying to flush their intruder out. But no one was in there by now. And with all able bodies focusing on cutting that route off, Felicia's hunched form slunk out the front gate and into the fading darkness of the early morning. She could still hear the sirens over her heavy breathing as she plopped Duo's deadweight form next to a rusted green truck. Felicia sunk down next to him and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Wow, I went whole mission without killing anyone. There's something new," she told herself. She let her head fall onto her shoulder as she gazed over at her incapacitated companion. What a load of trouble he was. "You just better be one hell of a gundam pilot, that's all I can say." She pushed the unconscious body over as if that would serve as some kind of revenge. Glaring at the black form in the darkness, she hardly felt compensated.

"Well, let's see what kind of ride we've got tonight," Felicia then announced as she pulled herself to her feet. She peered into the dirty window of the old truck and was pleased to find that some poor, dumb schmuck had indeed left the keys in the ignition. She was about to go for it when something across the street caught her eye and she started to salivate.

The sickly young girl walked almost in a trance over to the flawless, black sports car. Slowly, she ran her fingers over the enticing curves. The paint job was magnificent. Like it had been poured on by the hands of gods. They didn't even make this model any more. Not since AC 179. Classic. Perfect. To die for. And it was Felicia's now.

She pulled out a few tools from her jacket and set to work. With the hands of a master she had the car unlocked in no time. Next she popped the hood and made herself right at home inside. Quickly cutting this wire and splicing that one, Felicia then twisted two others together, sparks flew, and the engine ignited.

"Hear that baby purr," Felicia smiled as a she shut the hood. Suddenly realizing how hot she was, she removed her jacket and a chill ran through her body. She was soaked. Since when was it humanly possible to sweat this much? There wasn't much time to wonder about those kind of questions now. Felicia, despite her own digressing condition, dragged the lanky body around and strapped him into the passenger seat. She hurried around to the driver's side and belted herself.

Duo coughed weakly in his seat and Felicia paused momentarily to look at him. Her shoulders were slumped and she was fighting her own urge to pass out and just let the blissful blackness take her. But she had gone too far to give up now. She would go however further was needed.

"Hang on," she told him and she started off in her new consolation prize. "I know where to get you some help. Just stay with me until then."

* * *

"Is it the door?"

"No."

"The desk?"

"Nope."

"The...picture frame?"

Millardo smiled. "Right. Your turn."

Lucretia Noin cracked her knuckles as a she prepared herself for this new challenge. "Right. I'm going to come up with something really hard now. I spy with my little eye something that is blonde--I mean yellow! I mean--D'oh!" She slapped her palm to her forehead.

"Gee, I wonder what that is," Millardo laughed as a he ran his fingers through his blonde hair.

Noin sighed and laid down flat on her back on the floor. "This is so dumb, I'm going crazy in here," she complained. "How long have been prisoners in this place anyway?"

"Near as a I can tell, anywhere from a couple weeks to a month."

Lucretia blew some hair out of her face. "I'm so bored. How long do they plan on keeping us captives here? If they're going to do something with us then do it instead of leaving us down here to fester and die of boredom."

"If you're bored, I can think of something we can do," Millardo suggested with a certain glint of mischief in his eyes.

Noin sat up. "Oh yeah?"

"Yes," Millardo smiled sensually, moving in closer. "It might even give us some attention down here."

"You're horrible," Lucretia admonished, but kissed him anyway.

Just when it seemed the couple had found something to keep themselves occupied, the door of their room slid open. Both stopped their activity at the unexpected interruption. Millardo glared at the familiar form standing in the doorway accompanied by three armed guards.

"Hues," he spat at his former friend and fellow worker. "I was wondering when you'd have the guts to come down here yourself."

"Nice to see you again as a well," Benson Hues replied with a smirk. He looked so different now. Triumphant and cocky instead of the warm and friendly man they used to know. This was the real man behind the facade. The other person they knew was just a lie.

The sight of the armed guards alarmed Noin and she clung to Millardo's arm.

"So what's with all the body guards?" the blonde pilot asked coolly. "You couldn't possibly be scared off little old me now, are you?"

Hues frowned in response. "You're more than what you pretend to be. I know better than to underestimate either one of you."

Millardo merely smiled again. "I'm flattered."

"Well then, prepare to be even more impressed," Hues replied. "You've been requested to meet with the big man himself."

"Then we mustn't keep him waiting," Millardo stood and offered a hand to Lucretia.

"Not her, just you," Benson ordered.

Fear gripped Noin's heart as her companion started to move away. "No, don't do it," she pleaded as a she grabbed his arm. "Don't go alone. What if I never see you again?"

He turned and smiled at her kindly. "Relax Lucretia. If they wanted us dead they would have killed us long ago. You'll see me again, I promise."

Reluctantly, Noin let go and silently watched as a her love was escorted out of the room. The door slid shut behind them with a final hiss.

Millardo spoke not a word as a he was escorted down the base that had once been his home and was now his prison. Neither did his captor make attempt to speak. The ex gundam pilot had already proved that he could neither be bated nor intimidated with words so there was no more need for such inane banter from either of them. He was led into the main control room and positioned in front of the large view screen at the point of the room.

"So?" Millardo demanded. "Where is this mighty leader of yours?"

"Here." Came a voice as a the view screen blinked on.

Millardo squinted at the dark figure before him. The form was hidden in shadows and no distinct characteristics of the face could be seen. Also, he was disguising his voice as a well so he came out sounding more like a computer than a person.

"This is your leader?" Millardo asked. "This is pitiful! Quit hiding behind that computer screen like a coward and face me. Then we'll see how great a leader you are."

"Brave words from a man who used to hide behind a mask, Zechs Marquise," came the instant reply. "Or are you calling yourself Peacecraft again?"

"It is the deeds, not the name that make the man. Titles are irrelevant."

"Indeed," spoke the figure. "That is why they used to call you Lightning Count and Killer of His Own Men. Yes, I know quite a bit about you--whatever your name may be."

Millardo forced down any visual response to that retort. "So what do you want with me?" he then asked.

"I want you," spoke the figure. "To work for me."


	13. Chapter 13: The Chapter Without A

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Thirteen: The Chapter Without A Name

Millardo raised an incredulous blonde eye brow at the proposition. "You must be joking."

"I never joke," came the dark figure's reply. "A large wrench has been thrown in the gears of my plan; these...ex-gundam pilots. Still mere boys, but they manage to be upsetting enough. Whole armies, as I have been told, had trouble defeating them. Any faction that went up against them failed. But you--you were the only one who could stand up to them. A one man fighting machine that made them all stand up and take notice. I want that power working for me."

Millardo had to smile at this. He made them sound like some elite, highly advanced fighting force instead of what they really were. Only five lost boys struggling as individuals to complete their own missions and, at the same time, manage to keep their lives. Even though this group of gundam pilots were hardly ever united, still, even as individuals, he had to admit each one was a force to be reckoned with.

"I'm sorry, but you're looking for a warrior," the blonde young man finally spoke. "Perhaps I was what you're seeking in another life time. But now I'm just a glorified mechanic trying to do my job. I'm afraid you've got the wrong man."

"Do I," came the sinister reply. He sounded unamused and even less persuaded. "We'll see who's kidding who."

The screen then flicked off without nary another comment from his captor. Millardo looked over at his jailor who used to be a trusted friend. Perhaps it was true one could not trust anyone these days. Hues cocked his head to the side as he listened to further instructions on an ear piece he wore. Next, he motioned to the armed guards to bring the prisoner as he led the way out.

Millardo obediently followed. At the moment he felt no pressing need to escape as long as his captors gave the impression they very much wanted him to stay alive. At least for the time being. Also, any actions of his might result with injury brought upon Lucretia and he would have none of that while he could help it.

"We don't seem to be returning the same way we came from," Millardo eventually voiced his observation. He was being led down a different hall of the Mars base now.

"Yes," was all Hues did to reply.

Millardo was hand cuffed and then thrown into a semi-empty storage room. This was far more of a cell than being locked in his bunker. The blonde pilot sighed as he sat down on the cold floor in the darkness. It uneased him to be separated from Noin and leaving her in the hands of these traitors alone. Whether he got answers or not about this whole ordeal, perhaps it was time to think up a way to escape.

* * *

Mr. Underwood, in his darkened room, turned from his desk after having ordered Benson Hues, one of his long time followers, to lock up the ex-Gundam pilot in a separate holding space. It didn't bother him that this Millardo Peacecraft was refusing to help his cause. He had ways of getting what he wanted with or without people's permission.

The great mastermind spun in his chair to face the female figure standing in the dim light. Dr. Karen looked quite tired and disheveled while holding an ice pack over her eye.

"Dr. Karen, it seems we have encountered far more different variables in this equation to predict the outcome."

"Yes sir," the red haired woman said.

"Dr. Karen?"

"Uh, yes Mr. Underwood?"

"I am temporarily relocating you to Mars."

She almost stumbled backwards in surprise.

"Mars!"

"Yes, I've got a situation up there that's your specialty. We already have one gundam missing. I'm counting on you to help us tip the tables back to our side. So don't fail me."

"Yes, sir." The female scientist bowed and turned to go.

"Oh, and Dr."

"Yes?"

"If it be at all possible..."

"Yes?"

"Find out who stole my car."

* * *

"It's for you."

Wufei looked up from his surveillance equipment when a younger man handed the phone to him. The Chinaman looked at the out stretched appliance for a while before taking it. It wasn't often--if ever--he received personal calls.

"This is Wufei," he said into the receiver, if somewhat skeptical.

"Wufei, it's Sally," said the familiar voice on the other end. "I need you to stop by my house right away."

"Now?" Wufei argued. "I'm in the middle of a shift. Do you know what time it is?"

"I know it's late, but this is important. You really ought to come down right now."

Wufei pressed his lips into a thin line. It was quite windy and cold out tonight. Could it possibly be worth leaving the warmth of the base in the dead of night?

"Just how important is this?" he wanted to know. "I can't just abandon my post."

"For crying out loud Wufei," blurted Sally's exasperated voice in his ear. "I'm sending you a replacement, now toughen up and get over here!"

Wufei glared daggers at the phone as Sally hung up the other line. That was such like a woman. So pushy and unreasonable. He let out a heavy breath before abandoning the telephone and trudging off to where the Preventer jeeps were parked. He was well aware of the whispering going on behind his back as he walked away. Wufei pretended he couldn't hear them, but he knew what they were saying. There was always talk when things like this happened. Personal visits to her house or going out on assignment with her.

"Looks like the major's getting a little lonely tonight," one Preventer snickered within the ex-gundam pilot's hearing.

"Yeah," another young snot of a cadet replied. "Nothing like a little late night nookie."

"Lucky bastard," replied the first. "That woman is hot. I'd do her. And far better than he ever could. Why would she want such a tight ass like that?"

Wufei shoved his fists in his pockets to keep them away from the little punk's smirking face. If they only knew. If SHE only knew. Only knew what kind of trash he put up with just for the sake of being her friend. Those arrogant little pricks didn't know a thing. He wasn't doing anything with anybody, nor was he looking for someone to fill that role. It was bad enough to admit to being a friend to that woman. But starting a relationship with any female, Wufei had learned, was more trouble--and pain--than it was worth.

After receiving clearance for taking one of the jeeps, Wufei continued his mental grumbling's as he drove through the cold, dark night to Sally's house. She better have something important to show him. Wufei let his mind wander to other times when she had tricked him to get him to do things she had wanted. Sally Po could sure be a manipulative one when she wanted to be. Doubt began to creep further and further into the young man's mind the closer he got to his destination. Just what on earth did she want with him this late at night? It couldn't be for--no. Sally wouldn't be so childish and selfish to pull him out of his shift for any personal reasons. But then again, she did joke about their rumored relationship just about as much as anyone else at the station. What if she had suddenly turned it serious?

Wufei found himself hesitating to get out when he had pulled up in front of Sally's home. Slowly he made his way to the front door. What if they all turned out to be right? He knocked on the door and it took longer than usual for anyone to answer. What if this visit was a personal one? What would he possibly say to her?

When Sally finally opened the door, Wufei was relieved as well as alarmed all over again at the sober expression she wore.

"Come down stairs," she said simply and started to lead the way.

Wufei followed silently; all his internal systems were at full alert. She hadn't even greeted him with an "Hi Wufei, thanks for coming." This was definitely something important. Down into the darker basement they went. The sub floor of the house only consisted of one bedroom, bathroom, and Sally's medical lab if Wufei remembered correctly. Sally led the way right to the bedroom whose door was open only slightly. Sally opened it and motioned for Wufei to enter first. He did so warily. But all his defenses dropped from surprise when he saw the lifeless form laying on the bed.

"Recognize him?" Sally asked.

"Duo!" Wufei gaped. He stepped closer to the prone figure still out cold. The pilot of the feared Deathscythe that had been terrorizing Earth was laying right in front of him. Wufei couldn't believe the shape he was in. He couldn't have done it. There was no way Duo would have been able to pilot the mammoth mobile suit in such a condition.

"Wh--where did he--" Wufei struggled to ask.

"Over there," Sally pointed. "We can thank our ever mysterious messenger."

Wufei looked. There, in the darkest, farthest corner, a figure dressed in black leaned against the wall. Wufei narrowed his eyes at the instantly familiar Felicia and then turned his attention right back to the fellow pilot. How dare she come back! He wasn't even going to bother acknowledging her for the moment. She didn't deserve even that.

"What happened to him?" Wufei asked, turning his back to her and looking down at Duo.

"I'm not sure," Sally replied. "I'll have to run a few tests to find out for sure."

"I don't know either," Felicia's calm voice said from the shadows. "He was like that when I found him."

Wufei pretended not to be listening, but inside his mind was reeling. Found him? How did she know where he was? No one did! And how could she know where he had been all this time but not know what happened to him? Did she just find him on accident? And also, why did she bring him back here? She had been gone long enough, surely she had some place of her own to take him. Did she come to Sally because it was the only safe place she knew of for the both of them? Or could it be because she knew about his and Sally's linked past with the braided young man?

While Wufei had paused to assess, Sally continued to keep herself busy by taking Duo's stats. She had cleaned him up the best she could before Wufei had gotten there. She was still having trouble believing that only an hour ago the two of them had miraculously appeared on her doorstep. Where they had been or how they had gotten there was still a mystery to her, but she could save the questions until later. After Duo was put to bed, Felicia had retreated to her corner of the wall where she was still standing and had not offered any further help. Sally found that a bit odd. Felicia was quite a lot more active than that. She didn't have a habit of standing around and practically hugging the shadowed corners like they were all she had. Something felt wrong. When Wufei noticed her continue to glance at the mysterious girl, he got the same feeling as well.

Felicia continued to stare in front of her though she was hardly aware of what she was seeing. Though she tried to make it look like her arms were just casually folded, in reality, she was hugging her body in attempts to hide the shivering that possessed her entire being. In short, she was miserable. She felt hot, but she had goose bumps. Her skin was clammy and her head throbbed. Her whole body felt like it was failing her. The wall was the only thing keeping her from falling over at this point.

She looked up, almost bewildered, when she felt someone approaching her. Her raging fever did little to help her to assess the situation clearly.

"What?" she demanded, pulling back as Wufei reached for her.

Wufei didn't reply as he pressed his hand firmly to her forehead. His frown deepened at the temperature he felt. This couldn't be good.

"You're hot," he said matter of factly.

Felicia smiled weakly. "It's about time you noticed."

Wufei's eye brows shot up as he caught the innuendo. That was about all he had time to do before Felicia finally collapsed from fever and fatigue. Wufei was quick to catch her and held her weak form against him as the last ounce of energy drained from her body. Her breathing was shallow on his skin as she rested the bridge of her nose against his neck.

"I'm sorry I left without saying anything," she whispered hoarsely. "I'm glad to see you're still okay."

Wufei could feel her fevered body shivering against him and held her tighter.

"Felicia..."

"Wufei, put her here."

He turned around to see Sally pulling out a small cot from under Duo's bed. Wufei obediently picked up the newest patient and placed her on it. Sally knelt down on the other side and checked her temperature.

"Hmm...it's quite high. We're going to have to bring that down. I'm going to get her some fresh clothes. These are soaked."

Wufei watched her stand and leave before looking down at the cot again. Felicia watched him wearily with half closed eyes. It took all her energy just to fight off sleep for that much longer. Wufei never moved his deep, dark eyes from her. Her skin was pale and sweaty. Her hair was a mess. She looked like she had been through hell and back.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. "Where have you been?"

Felicia tried to chuckle which turned itself into a weak cough. "How can I be mysterious if I tell you all the answers?"

Wufei tried to come up with a logical reason after that reply, but she had already passed out from exhaustion and fatigue. He continued to stare at the sleeping, feverish form until Sally stepped in again.

"You can stay here tonight if you'd like," she told him. "We're not going to get much response from either of these two until they've had some rest." She paused when she noticed some odd marks on Felicia's arms and knelt down to further investigate.

"What?" Wufei wanted to know.

"Look at these little marks," Sally pointed out. "I don't think she had these before she left."

"What exactly is wrong with them?" the pilot then questioned.

"Well, I haven't been able to do any blood tests yet, but I'd have to say your friend Duo here is on some sort of drug. I'm guessing a kind of sedative that's been in his system for a while now and I doubt it was by choice. He's also suffering from malnutrition and dehydration. Who ever had him has been starving the poor guy.

"As for Felicia, I'd say she's just passed out from extreme fatigue and that fever was brought on by it. As for these marks on her arm," Sally paused once again to inspect them. "They look like fingernail scratches. The angle of them looks almost self inflicted. Why would she do something like that?"

Wufei just frowned and turned to leave the room.

"You don't have to act like that around me, Wufei," Sally called after him. "I know this bothers you. You don't need to hide it here."

The Chinese pilot paused in the doorway and for a moment Sally thought she would actually get the desired response.

"I am going back to the base," Wufei then announced. "Call me back when they are awake."

"Okay," Sally relented as she watched him go. The beautiful major shook her head. She could never understand why it hurt him so much to care.

* * *

Quatre's troubled mind woke up to an unexpectedly peaceful feeling. He slowly opened his eyes to see beautiful ice blue eyes smiling back at him. What a site to wake up to. Candy was sitting at his bed side. She was in a chair, but she rested her head and arms on the bed as if she were laying beside him. Quatre slowly tried to piece together his troubled recollection as she continued to rub a finger up and down the bridge of his nose with feather soft touches.

"Hi," she whispered to him. Her smile alone seemed to automatically lift a heavy burden from his heart.

"Hi," he managed to rasp back weakly.

Her sweet expression was instantly laced with gentle concern. "Are you going to be okay?"

Quatre looked at her with a sadness that made Candy's heart ache for him. Would he really be okay after that night? Physically, yes, he was fine. He could get up and move and talk. But could he go on? The images he remembered still played back freshly in his mind. The hurt, the anger, the regret were all still there. It had been more than three years since that awful war and he still had not been able to heal since then. Last night had only been a reminder of the fact that he could never forgive himself for what he had done.

"Quatre?" Candy asked again, searching his war weary eyes. She could tell by their look that he had seen more that he let on. Something had happened that night that was more profoundly damaging than any physical object could inflict. She found a need to heal within them and she asked with her eyes how she could help.

"Hi there," came a cheerful reply as a tall brunette came in. "I'm glad to see you're finally awake."

"Catherine?" Quatre wondered, recognizing her face. Just where was he?

"How are you feeling?" she asked with a smile.

"I'm...okay."

"Good. Trowa's out doing chores. He should be in soon to see how you are. I'll make you something to eat if you're hungry."

"That would be nice, thank you."

"No problem." Catherine turned to leave when she almost ran into none other than her taller, little brother.

"Oh Trowa, there you are," she greeted. "You're friend's awake now. I'm going to make us all a good breakfast."

The tall young man named Trowa just nodded. He gazed over at Quatre as his sister left and Candy couldn't help but noticed the look that passed between them. These two definitely had some history together. But what? She could hardly fathom what kind of common ground a rich company man and a circus clown could have.

Without thinking, Candy found herself leaning closer to Quatre as this Trowa stared them down. For what reason, she wasn't sure. Was she trying to protect him, or was she the one asking for protection from this young man's piercing, dead gaze?

Quatre sat up and blushed a little when his hand brushed against hers.

"Candy?" he asked quietly. "Would you mind seeing if Catherine needs any help with making breakfast?"

Knowing it was Quatre's politest way of asking her to leave, Candy nodded. She gave the blonde young man one more reassuring smile before abandoning her chair and leaving the room. Quatre's expression remained gentle until Candy had left the room. Once alone, the two young men looked sternly at each other. The tension in the room instantly intensified. Each pilot knew what needed to be discussed, but it seemed neither knew where to start.

"I saw the Deathscythe," Quatre stated seriously. "I saw it right in front of me destroying buildings; attacking the city."

"Yes, I saw it on tv myself," Trowa replied as if it were every day conversation. With hands in his pockets, he strolled over to the window and casually leaned against the sill to gaze out at the sky. "It's attacked cities a few times. The last time it was seen was the night after you were captured."

Quatre sat up straighter as a question hit him. "Trowa, how did you know where I was?"

Trowa artfully dodged the question with a practiced flip of his hair. That answered would be saved for another day.

"We know all the original gundams were destroyed. Someone somehow has discovered the blueprints to the Deathscythe and rebuilt it."

Quatre's previous question was gone as a sudden fear pricked his heart. "Do you think any of the other gundams will be rebuilt as well?"

"It's hard to guess. It may be easier to predict if we knew who was behind this and what they wanted." Trowa pulled his hands out of his pockets and crossed them over his chest. "For whatever reason, I can see why they used the Deathscythe. People like this want to do nothing more than scare the public and it would be easiest with Deathscythe's appearance and reputation. The gundams were built and used to put fear in the hearts of their enemies."

Quatre felt his blood run cold. Fear. That's all those monsters were good for. They weren't saviors, they were only made to make people afraid. The blonde young man hung his legs off the edge of the bed and ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly. His mind went back to the night before. How he was forced to remember all his sins. His guilt flooded back ten fold as he recalled all the things he had destroyed, the all people he had killed, all the families he had ripped apart.

"Quatre?" Trowa wondered when he noticed his comrade's change in posture.

Quatre whimpered as he gripped his hair with both hands and stared feverishly at the floor.

"Not again," he rasped. "I can't go through it all again. Why does war and pain keep following us where ever we go? Will we never be able to escape it? There has to be someone else who can take over from here. Haven't we all suffered enough?"

Trowa offered no answer and remained quiet. On the other side of the door, Catherine leaned against the wall, worriedly chewing on a fingernail. Quatre was right. What they had done should have been enough. They had more than earned their right to live happy, fulfilling lives without having to think about war and fighting any more. But fate would have none of that and it appeared they would be doomed to being sucked into one war after another until mankind finally, if ever, lost the lust for battle. But that seemed it would never be and Catherine wept for the souls of those stolen by the hatred of war.

* * *

Little bright eyed Kade could hardly sit still as he watched out the window while their shuttle pulled into the port. He had been traveling around with his new found friend and guardian Heero for a few days now. They had been hopping from colony to colony and now, at last, they were at their final destination. The young boy had no idea why he had been led to this colony. All he knew that this signaled the end of all the boring travel and perhaps that of a new home.

"Stay close," Heero ordered simply as they got off the shuttle and entered the station.

Kade was more than happy to comply. With all the attacks, security had been beefed up everywhere and large, scary men with guns peppered the place. The child stayed in Heero's shadow as he watched the guard's weapons carefully. Were these men here to make them feel safe or make them afraid? He couldn't tell.

"Passport please," said the elderly man at the check out counter in a practiced tone.

Heero pulled out his passport and ID as he had before with each stop and take off. The greying man inspected the papers and then peered down at the younger boy lingering beside him.

"And who is this fellow with you?"

"My brother," Heero responded automatically.

The attendant looked at the angry young man, then down at the boy who was beaming with pride for having such a cool older brother. The station worker scratched his wiry beard, but let it pass. He had seen stranger things.

"Business or pleasure?" he asked as he glanced at the travel papers one more time.

"Business," Heero retorted before snatching his things and stalking off. Kade happily skipped away behind him.

"Where are we going now, Mr. Heero?" Kade asked as they left the space port.

"You'll see," was the only response he got.

The two boarded a shuttlebus that took them into the colony city. Kade sat patiently, swinging his legs as he watched all the buildings go by. He had seen so many in the past few days. Everything had been so exciting and different at first. But by now, after traveling through so many of the same cities, it was starting to get repetitive. This colony hardly looked any different from the others they had traveled to. What was here that made this one so special, the young boy had to wonder.

"Here."

Heero stood as the shuttle slowed to a stop. Kade was quick to get up after him, for there was no doubt in his young mind that he would be left behind without another thought if he were to stay on the bus. Somehow, this didn't seem to bother the boy. Instead, it made him more determined to stick with his newfound companion. This Heero smelled of adventure the way no other person he had met ever had and Kade wanted to see where he would take him. This quiet, older figure who ran into burning buildings and waged war with flying metal monsters.

Kade admiratly followed each calculated footstep as they got off and started walking down the sidewalk. They traveled for at least a mile before they reached a more broken down part of the city with fewer inhabited stores and more dilapidated buildings. They came to one garage shop that looked a bit run down but still in business. Heero actually paused outside of it. Kade looked up in wonderment as he saw what one could almost describe as hesitance in the older boy's stance.

It passed quickly and Heero picked up his feet again. He led the way inside the garage. As the two passed the thresh hold, their feet triggered a laser near the floor which set off a small bell to signal a customer.

"Hello, what can I do for you today?" asked a gruff voice as a hunched figure hobbled out of the deep recesses of the shop.

Kade stepped closer to Heero, almost hiding behind his leg. This old man didn't look right. He was scary. He had these strange, small goggles over his eyes. Or were those supposed to BE his eyes? His smile was unnerving. And his hand--there was a metal claw where a hand should have been. What happened to this old man to make him look like this?

The hunched figure paused when he finally got a good look at his visitors. There was a long silence between pilot and scientist that seemed to speak volumes about past history unknown to the third party of the group.

"Well," Dr. J finally spoke. "There's one face I never thought I'd see again. How long has it been now? Three years? Four? These days I hardly know what month it is any more. Being holed up in this little corner of the universe--time just seems to meld together. Everyday is like the one before until you wonder if time is still passing or if you're merely living the same day over and over." He paused momentarily and smiled an almost wistful smile at the young man.

"But when I look at you and see how much you've grown, I know that time has indeed carried on."

Heero did not return the sentimentality one bit and kept his face as stoic as always. It was then Dr. J turned his goggly gaze down to the pilot's young companion.

"And who is this with you, Heero? Are you sending me your replacement?"

The old man chuckled as Heero pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at the question.

"It's a joke boy, you know I don't do that any more," Dr. J insisted. "Really now, I think living a life of solitude up in those colonies has made you cranky."

Heero's eyes widened. How did this senile old fool know where and how he was living? Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised. After all, his reason for coming here was to get other information equally difficult to come by.

"Come," Dr. J motioned inward with his gnarled, good hand. "Come in and I'll fix us some lunch. I think I even have some cookies in the cupboard."

Kade's eyes lit up. Living on Heero's schedule often didn't leave time for meals and they hadn't even had breakfast yet. The poor child was famished! Perhaps this old man wasn't so bad and scary after all if he was going to feed them. The boy looked up eagerly at his companion for permission to stay for lunch.

Heero didn't so much at glance at the child, but he did follow and that was enough to bring Kade merrily skipping behind him.

"Dr. J," he finally spoke, coming up next to the aged inventor. "I came here for information."

Dr J. paused in the doorway of his office and patted the pilot's arm. "All in good time, my boy," he assured him. "First lets get some food into that young comrade of yours, then we'll talk shop."

Heero finally nodded and Kade happily got his meal.

After all stomachs were full, Kade was sent off to play in the sparsely grass and littered patch of soil behind the garage. It wasn't much to look at, but space was sometimes all that was needed for a bright eyed little boy to spend his pent up energy. Heero and Dr. J sat around a small table in the shade of the mechanics shop as the day filtered into evening.

"Quite an energetic one, isn't he?" Dr. J commented as he watched Kade pick up seemingly parts of metal trash which served as various props for his imagination play. "Where in the galaxy did you find him anyway? I never imagined you were one who liked children."

Heero just watched the boy silently. When he didn't get a response, Dr. J turned to the young man.

"You never were to keen on small talk," the old man accused. "So let's get on with it. Just what is it that you came all this way to ask me, Heero?"

"The gundams," Heero replied simply. "And the mobile doll attacks on the colonies."

"Ah, yes," Dr. J nodded. "It's a strange time we live in where wars are waged with sides and purposes unknown. Fear is everywhere now days. The people are frantically looking for something to blame. Someone to make their enemy to they can fight and spill blood all over again."

Heero shot the old man an icy stare. "And you have nothing to do with this," he said in an accusing tone.

Dr. J took a deep breath and gazed back out at the happy-go-lucky child playing a few yards away.

"Heero, war and revenge has made me an old man. I no longer wish to be involved in its pursuits and merely want to live the remainder of my life in peace."

"So you have no idea who is doing this," Heero stated more than asked.

"No."

"Nor how they got the plans to rebuild that gundam."

"The plans for those gundams have been seen by various parties as time as progressed. Who's to say who has any remaining copies of the plans. But it was the gundam Deathscythe that was rebuilt. And, as you recall, that one was not mine."

"Yes, but whoever built it, may be building others as well," Heero rationalized. "Or may have already built them."

Dr. J shook his head. "Whose to say. But for whatever reason, the whole messy business is not my problem."

Heero slammed his fist on the table as he stood up, gaining the old man's full attention.

"It is your problem," he told him lowly. "As long as those gundams exist, they're your responsibility. Any damage they do will be on your heads."

The old man smiled shook his head sadly. "Oh Heero, Heero. You want another battle so badly."

Heero just looked at him, stunned by the accusation. HE wanted this war? No! He wanted to stop it. He didn't want to fight another one again...did he?

"It was all I trained you for and it's all you've lived for your entire life. I know how you feel Heero. What good is a solder without a battle to fight? I taught you that and now I wish I hadn't. I never stopped to think about what would happen to the life-long solder after the war was over. Where was his place in a world of peace?"

"Dr. J?" Heero wondered as he sat down, in awe at this sudden confession. He never would have thought.

"I'm sorry I had to do that to you Heero. But there was no other way at the time. I will help you in any way I can during this new challenge you have given yourself. After it is over, I can only hope that warrior's spirit I've instilled in you will finally be set down to rest."

Heero said nothing, but only nodded. Whether it was in acceptance of the truthfulness of the old man's words, or merely the agreement for his help, it could never be known.

* * *

Duo was lifted to consciousness feeling drunk and dizzy. His brain felt like it had just gone through a washing machine and was still floating in soapy water while his mouth tasted salty of bile and used socks. He slowly, weakly sat up; feeling like he would wretch, but having a stronger desire to move just to prove to himself he was no longer strapped down like he had been for so long.

He looked down at his wrists and moved them experimentally. He could feel the rawness around them as his skin moved and stretched. They still felt a bit swollen, but he couldn't see the full condition of them in the darkness. Just where was he anyway? It was a quaint little room with the door half open and a dim light spilling gently from the hall. It felt warm and safe in this place. How on earth did he get here?

Where did the lab go? That was the last place Duo remembered being. All those horrible drugs in his system, clouding his head and making his body heavy. That horrible red haired woman who kept smiling over him. How he hated her. Where ever she was now, Duo hoped she was dead and torn into pieces. At this time, he doubted that was very much the truth, but he could still amuse himself with thoughts of her smug, decapitated head now gasping for breath like a landed fish.

Duo shook his head to clear the running, morbid thoughts. He pushed away extra strands of his hair behind his ear and then looked down at the clothes he wore. They weren't his. But they were clean and warm. Duo chewed on his bottom lip as he looked around again. Though he didn't know where he was exactly, he had a feeling he was in no danger; that he was safe. The young pilot had to take a deep breath in at that realization. It had been so long since he felt that way. Since the constant need to survive and to stay on guard for your life didn't plague his every nerve night and day. He had survived that nightmare laboratory. He had won.

_Duo old buddy, you did good. You showed those bastards just what Shinigami was made of. No uppity broad in a stiff coat is going to get the best of you._

The young pilot actually tried to say those words to himself, but when he tried to speak he found that his voice was all but gone and could do nothing but wheeze and cough when he tried to clear his throat. So much for calling for anyone. He would have to go find them.

Standing up slowly, Duo had to catch himself on the edge of the bed. His legs were so weak from disuse and malnutrition. Then, as if on cue, his stomach started to growl as his hunger pains returned. When was the last time he had eaten anything? His stomach felt like it was starting to eat up his insides from lack of sustenance. Whoever had cleaned and dressed him and given him a nice bed certainly would have something to eat for him. Wobbling a bit, Duo slowly moved out of the room and into the hall.

This definitely was somebody's house. There was a single bulb on the low ceiling lighting the place from the bottom of carpeted stairs. Each stair felt like a challenge in itself as Duo practically pulled himself up by the hand rail. It was unbelievable how out of breath he got so quickly. By the last step, Duo was practically crawling on all fours up the stairs. He was feeling so lightheaded that he had to sit and pant once he was at the top. The braided pilot would have been happy to lay down right there and go back to sleep if his stomach didn't start being so insistent again. He needed food in his body now.

The upper level was so dark without any lights on. It was night time for sure, but just how late was it? Or how early? Or even what DAY was it? How long had it been since he felt alive and not like some psycho's guinea pig?

Duo couldn't help but feel lost. He had no idea where he was; no direction where to go. He didn't know when it was or what had happened to him. Or even who was in this place with him. He needed somebody. He needed a real person he could hear and touch and talk to. Someone to confirm that this wasn't a hallucination. That he had really been saved and that everything was okay now. Someone that could lead him to the kitchen.

Back on his tired feet, Duo inched and groped his way into the darkness as the light from the bottom of the stairs faded away. Where did they hide all the damn light switches? After he had turned the corner, he couldn't see a thing. He felt along the wall until his hands came upon something that felt like a door frame. Peeking his head around the corner, he found a bedroom in this dark mystery of a house.

The only way Duo could tell it was a bedroom was that there was a little light plugged into the electrical socket that was bright enough to luminate the lamp, dresser, and bed sitting there. The odd lump on top suggested that someone was occupying the bed. Perhaps his savior and host. Little did he know at that time that they were not one and the same.

Duo's braid swished as he slowly entered the room. It felt so heavy now. What was this world coming to when he couldn't even stand the weight of is own beautiful hair? Even if it was a bit matted and disheveled at the moment. Duo tried to vocally arouse the slumbering form. But his voice was still out of commission. He would have to shake them awake.

The closer he got, the more Duo could see that the person sleeping in the bed was female. The form didn't look as broad or heavy as a man's. In the pale light, he could kind of see the face. Most of it was buried in the pillow or covered with dark hair that looked just about as matted and disheveled as his. The most important thing was that he didn't recognize this person. She was as strange to him as the rest of this house. What would that mean for his future?

Taking a moment to try and clear his dry throat again, Duo slowly reached out to the sleeping girl. He never got a chance to make contact--at least, not in the way he intended. Before he knew what hit him, a force knocked into his chest and he went stumbling backwards. Duo's back hit the wall, knocking the breath out of him and he slid to the floor, not having the strength in his body to hold himself up any more.

Duo's vision was swimming wilder than when he first awoke. He shook his head and then opened his eyes. The lamp had now been turned on and standing over him was the girl that had been sleeping; fully awake now. All Duo could do was look up at her as she stood over him, a bit shook up herself. Obviously she had not expected anyone to trespass in her room that night. Now, Duo could clearly see her straight black hair, high cheekbones, dark skin and slanted green eyes. He blinked as a flash of a familiar face came back to him. At the lab...had she been there?

"It's you!" the young woman breathed, one hand on her heart.

Duo gave her a lop sided half-grin. He didn't have the energy to do a full one. He, too, was panting though simply from fatigue. "Are you going to try to kill me, too," he rasped.

Felicia crouched down next to him. What a morbid individual to say something like that at a time like this.

"Believe it or not, I tried to save you once," she replied. "Come on, I'll help you to your feet. You must still be pretty week."

Duo hated to admit it, but he had to nod.

Felicia looked the pilot over. She would never be able to pull him to his feet by his hand with his size and both their conditions. She leaned forward and hooked her arms around his upper torso, right under Duo's arms.

"Okay, help me," she then said.

The two of them began to pull themselves back to their feet. A simple task for most, but this time it took both their collective energies. Duo was blinking a lot through the ordeal. Did she say she was the one who saved him? How? He could feel the limited strength in her own body draining away as they pulled each other up. How could she do that alone with such little power? Perhaps there were others involved as well.

"Come on, this way," Felicia said as she looped one arm around her neck.

She led him to the bathroom across the hall. It was just in time, too. Duo's stomach suddenly lurched. He flew into the bathroom and collapsed around the toilet bowl where his malnutritioned body was wracked with dry heaves. There hadn't been anything left in his stomach to throw up for a while now, but his body still tried until it felt like he was about to cough up his intestines.

"So you made it all the way up here," Sally commented to the bathroom scene as she appeared in the doorway. The young major was dressed in her usual sleep wear of red flannel bottoms and a sleeveless white top. "We were beginning to wonder if those drugs would ever wear off."

Mentioning drugs sent Duo into another fit of heaves. His muscles spasmed until he felt like his entire body was going to simply dissolve under him. Sally kindly knelt down beside him and put a hand on his back.

"You're still going to be a bit sick for a while, but let's see if we can't get some gentle foods into that stomach and it will make you feel a whole lot better."

All Duo had the strength to do was smile. That sounded great to him.

"Felicia?"

"Hmm?" Felicia blinked from where she had dozed off, leaning against the bathroom counter.

"Let's get Duo sat down at the table."

Felicia nodded sleepily and put one of his arms over her shoulder while Sally supported the other. The three of them slowly made their way into the kitchen and sat the rag tag pilot down in a chair. Felicia plopped herself down next to him and rested her head in her folded arms.

"Here," Sally offered Duo a small glass of milk. "Drink slowly. This will help coat and settle your stomach."

Duo took the glass and swallowed. It tasted awful and painful going down his parched throat. But once in it was in his stomach, he could feel it start to cool a sooth his deprived insides. He took another small swallow and another, just enjoying the much missed sensation of having something in his tummy. With the glass still pressed to his mouth, Duo glanced over at the unfamiliar female sitting beside him. She was already fast asleep.

"That girl sure does love her sleep," Sally said as she brought over a bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup.

Duo began to drool at the simple smell of it. Real food. He heartily dug in despite Sally's warnings to take it slow and the soup itself being quite hot. He started to slow down when the bowl was almost empty. No need to over do it with a still uneasy stomach. He wouldn't be throwing up this fabulous meal if he could help it. Plus, there were some other things now on his mind. Like how did they know where to find him and how did he get clear back here near the Preventers base? And just who was this girl sleeping beside him and what did she have to do with all this?

Sally seemed to sense his curiosity.

"Eat and rest for now Duo. There will be plenty of time to answer all I can after you're feeling better."

Duo tried to rasp a "Thank you" but in the end, just had to settle for nodding. Sally smiled kindly as she sat down next to him. With head still resting on the table top Felicia dozed off into the night, knowing they wouldn't be staying there for very much longer.


	14. Chapter 14: Prisons Without Walls

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Fourteen: Prisons Without Walls

Relena sat still in the back of her limo as she watched trees and buildings rush by her. It had taken her a while to recover from her previous ordeal. The scene still haunted her at times. Gazing at the dreaded Deathscythe right in the optics. To see something she once thought of as good--only to feel fear like she had never known in its presence now. It had frightened and confused her--threw her into a state of emotional unbalance. But she was done crying now. And she was done being afraid. She was done feeling sorry for herself and her loneliness.

Now wasn't the time to curl up in the corner and wilt. Now was the time to be strong. There were stronger people in her life which Relena wished could be with her, but she couldn't count on them. No, the people needed her now. They needed someone strong who cared about them. Not someone who had to wait for help from others. For her people, Relena was now ready to be what they needed and she was prepared to do everything in her power for them until her dying breath.

The limo stopped outside a large mansion and Pagan, Relena's trusted servant and advisor stepped out of the front seat and opened the door for her. Relena stepped out and gazed at the large estate. It had once been the home of Trieze Kushrenada--now deceased and now owned by Commander Une as was left to her upon his death. Relena slowly walked up the stone pathway to the door and rang the bell. This was the first time she had ever been on the property of the former leader of OZ--let alone inside.

"Ah, Miss Relena." The gentle, gracious form of Lady Une--now commander of the Preventers-- appeared in the doorway. "You're right on time. Please, come in."

"Commander Une," Relena greeted. "It's good to see you again."

She nodded and lead the way through the house. The place was nicely furnished with red carpet on the floors, silk draperies at the windows, and precious and expensive paintings hanging tastefully here and there. Truly the dwelling of one who had an appreciation and a taste of fine art.

Relena was led into a smaller meeting room where she was offered a seat and a cup of tea.

"Now," Commander Une started as she herself took a seat. "Let us discuss this plan a bit more. I think we may just be able to pull this off."

Relena nodded. She would give everything in her power to prevent this war from breaking out. And the two of them had conceived an idea which just might work.

* * *

Wufei sat up in bed when he noticed the curvaceous silhouette standing in the bedroom doorway. The light was coming from behind the figure, and yet, it seemed to shine on her deep, sensual eyes as well.

"Wufei..." the figure breathed his name in such a way that it aroused emotions inside him he never thought he even had.

"...Felicia?" he wondered to the figure.

She was seductively attired in the black, silk teddy whose length hardy reached down to the beginning of her long, taunt thighs. One of the straps slipped off her shoulder as she tossed her hair and sensually strolled over to his bed.

Wufei could hardly move at this point as the exotic apparition wasted no time in climbing over him and straddling his waist. Felicia's mouth was instantly attacking his as she pressed her body needfully against him. Wufei's blood was on fire as his body automatically responded to her lustful actions while her fevered hands hurried to removed his shirt...

Wufei sat up in bed. It was light outside and he was alone in his room. Or...wait, this wasn't his room. Where was he? Oh yes. This was Sally's house. Now was the second day since Felicia had magically appeared on Sally's doorstep. Even more amazing, with the missing Duo Maxwell in her stead. Both had been in terrible condition when they arrived and neither had yet been well enough for full questioning of either Preventers.

Duo, who was still trying to recover his voice, did not sleep as much as Sally's other guest. Supposedly, he had done enough sleeping where ever he had come from. The day after he arrived, Duo merely ate and rested, ate and rested. He wasn't tired, but lacked strength and a voice and so wasn't at his best for giving out information yet.

As for Felicia, she had only been up once or twice that day before retiring back to her room to sleep some more. Wufei hadn't even seen her since that first night when Sally had called him over. He hadn't stayed over that night, but did the next, knowing this for sure would be the day both Sally's patients would be well enough to give comment on what had happened to them as of lately.

And speaking of Felicia, what the hell was she doing in his dreams? Of all the things to dream about, why THAT? Ugh, disgusting! Didn't his stupid subconscious know that he had better things to think about than merely succumbing to frivolous teenage hormones? Stupid body! Stupid dreams!

Wufei was not a happy camper as he got out of bed.

Sally was found in the kitchen diligently cooking pancakes for all her guests when Wufei's sulking countenance slunk in.

"Morning Wufei," Sally greeted calm and pleasant. "Did you sleep well?"

On that question, the young man just gave her a sour look, causing Sally to almost regret ever inviting him over in the first place. But at the same time, she could hardly blame him. Wufei seemed to always have a tough time when it came to issues that started to become personal in any way. She wasn't sure why or how he had come to be this way. It was almost as if his ability to act human had been programed out of him. In the few years she had gotten to know the angry young man, Sally had tried to help him rediscover what he seemed to be missing. But the going was slow and Wufei obviously hadn't progressed that much.

Without a word, Wufei took a seat at the table merely to wait until the food was ready. Sally poured another pancake onto the hot pan before removing the pitcher from the coffee maker to offer Wufei some. She was halfway to him when none other than Felicia came stumbling into the room. Both of the kitchen's occupants stopped and stared as she entered.

The dark haired young woman was quite a site to behold. She approached in almost a zombie-like fashion and looked startlingly similar to the part. Dark bags stubbornly clung beneath red, bloodshot eyes. Her clothes were dirty and rumpled, her face colorless and pasty, and her hair looked like it had been chewed on and slept in. To put it plainly, she looked like hell warmed over.

Wufei blinked at her, subconsciously comparing this site to the vision of his dream. What was his twisted, traitorous mind thinking?! What kind of unspeakable creation had just walked into Sally's kitchen?

"Felicia," Sally greeted kindly. "It's nice to see you up and around."

Felicia did not reply, nor acknowledge Wufei's presence in any way as she trudged right up to the preventer's major and glared at her with half dead eyes.

"Just give me the damn coffee," her grating voice demanded flatly.

If Sally had been in one of those silly Japanese animated shows, Wufei thought, she would have had one of those big sweat drops hanging off the side of her head right now. But of course she wasn't; so she didn't. But she did manage to bite back any retort as she fetched the younger woman a mug and poured her some of the hot liquid. She quietly hoped Felicia would be more civil after she had her damn coffee.

Having other plans than Sally, Felicia didn't even bother to stay at the table and opted to take her mug with her back to bed. She almost made it out of the kitchen, when she was met with a larger body frame suddenly blocking her way. Not being awake enough to have the right sense to avoid the collision, Felicia ran right into none other than Duo Maxwell. Thus resulting in a coffee mug falling on the floor.

The mug was plastic, so it didn't break. It merely bounced twice and then clattered to a stop near Felicia's bare foot. So that wasn't the big tragedy. No, the worst part of the situation was that all that wonderful caffeine had been wasted on the floor who couldn't even enjoy it properly.

"Sorry," Duo croaked. His voice, for the most part was back now; but just a little bit scratchy still.

It was hard to tell if Felicia even heard the quiet apology. She was too busy staring forlornly at the blackish brown puddle on the floor. She gave a small whimper. Duo blinked at her. For a moment she almost looked like she was going to fall to her knees and drink it up off the floor. Or she at least looked like she was considering it.

"It's okay, I can make more," Sally assured them all as if it were some kind of group crisis. "Here." She placed a wet rag in Felicia's hand and the bedraggled girl automatically dropped to her knees and started cleaning.

Wufei rolled his eyes away from the pathetic sight. She looked like some homeless little urchin cleaning a taskmaster's floor or something. Didn't she have more pride than that? Surely, HE would never be caught dead doing something so degrading. He sipped his coffee slowly as Duo left the young woman mopping on the floor to get himself a mug of coffee. It seemed even Maxwell had a limit to the lows he would sink.

But Wufei, it soon seemed, may have thought wrong. Felicia looked up when Duo approached her again and knelt down beside her. The coffee soaked rag was taken from her hand and replaced with a warm mug. Felicia blinked at him. The actions of this stranger had been so unexpected, she didn't know what to do. Duo just smiled. From what he understood, she was the one responsible for his rescue. The redeeming angel that had swooped down out of nowhere and pulled him from that hell of a laboratory. What he was doing now was hardly payment for what had been given him.

The corner of Felicia's mouth curved a bit. His smile made him look so young. It was almost charming; even though he still looked a bit sickly. His voice was still probably gone as well which was why he was offering no verbal explanation for his actions. Slowly, Felicia rose to her feet with her precious coffee in hand. She glanced back at the braided pilot in confusion as she retreated back to her room.

Wufei looked on at the whole thing with distaste. What did that stupid Maxwell think he was doing? Wufei was taken even more aback when, after finishing his mopping, Duo stood up and then stuck out his tongue at the Chinese pilot. As if he had just one-upped Wufei on something. The young Preventer merely looked away, indignant as ever; unaware at the amused look Sally had behind his back. Wufei better enjoy the quiet taunting while he could. As soon as Duo had his voice back, she knew, he would be merciless.

* * *

The sky was so blue today. Of course, it was always more blue than the sky on Quatre's colony. At least what passed as a sky. Still, even for the beautiful Earth, the sky was brilliant that day. And the breeze; it felt so nice. So fresh and consoling. It made his blonde hair dance and his spirits lift. Quatre felt like he could just lay there among the wild, tall grass forever and just feel all of life dancing with the gentle wind.

He sure needed time like this to himself after what he had recently been through. The thought of the capture made Quatre's eyebrows furrow as several issues about it nagged at him. Just what was that place anyway? Who was behind it and why had he been kidnaped and brought there? What did they want from him? He was never interrogated. Never asked for information or about his past. It was as if...as if they already knew it all. So did they just abduct him so they could watch him be tortured by the things he still could not forgive himself of? What would they gain from wasting all the time and effort for that? It just didn't make sense.

"Hi!"

A smiling face loomed over him, blocking Quatre's view of the sky and marring his thoughts.

"I finally found you, Quatre," Candy smiled, sitting beside where he lay. "I guess that means you're feeling better, huh?"

At the mention of getting better, Quatre felt a prick in his heart. Three years didn't make it better. Nothing ever really would. Nevertheless, he forced a smile as he sat up.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Candy was quick to apologize when she noticed his change in expression. "Did you want to be alone? I didn't mean to bother you."

"No, it's fine," Quatre assured her. "I don't mind your company at all."

This time, he was sincere. Though he may have automatically replied at first simply not to hurt her feelings, Quatre realized it was true. She radiated a presence that was calm and light and comforting. Simply by her being near him, Quatre couldn't help but feel better for some reason. That, somehow, it all may turn out all right.

"Candy," Quatre then suddenly asked. "What are you wearing?"

The young woman's cheeks suddenly grew red.

"Um, they're Cathrine's," she explained self-consciously. "They were the only things of hers that fit."

Candy couldn't stop the pink hue blooming on her cheeks. She wasn't used to wearing like what she was wearing now. Her blue shirt only had spaghetti straps holding them up and the shorts were almost too short for her comfort and she tugged at the hem self-consciously.

Luckily for her, Quatre just nodded and accepted the answer. She was glad he didn't sit and stare or start to act funny like she would have expected most boys to do. In fact, she felt very comfortable as he turned away to gaze back up at the sky and the light, long clouds that migrated slowly through it. There were a vew dark ones near the mountains. He idly wondered if they were heading his way.

Candy silently watched him and his blonde bangs still blowing softly.

"Were you thinking of what happened the other night?" she then asked.

Quatre looked down at the waving grass.

"Yes," he replied truthfully.

"Are you worried?"

"No." And he wasn't. "Just...confused, I guess."

He didn't look at her when he answered and Candy smiled sadly at the side of his face. She had a suspicion--one that had been growing for a while-- that there was something she did not know about. Perhaps even several things. Secrets that Quatre held; secrets known by that young man named Trowa. Perhaps his sister Cathrine as well. The secrets that connected them; which granted common ground to two people so different. Something she, mostly likely, would never be able to understand. A something that may just keep her and Quatre apart no matter how close she tried to be in order to help him.

Next to her, Quatre could almost hear the wheels in her head spinning. He knew she was trying to figure this out. He knew she had questions. And he knew that she knew he knew things she knew he was never going to tell her. That thought alone made his head start to spin. Then...it made his heart ache.

He didn't want to tell her. He couldn't bear to tell her. Not the whole truth. Not any of it. Right now, she thought all that had happened to them was because of money. Or perhaps because of his political or business positions. But the truth was...the truth was something he could hardly stand himself any more.

Quatre turned his head slightly to watch Candy out of the corner of his eye. She had her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around her as she looked up at the brilliance of the sky and enjoyed the pleasant breeze. Had she any idea who was next to her? Did she know what he was? Could she still trust him if she found out what he had done? Would she even want to see him again if she knew she was sitting next to a murderer? Someone who had taken the lives of countless numbers? People she may have known; talked to, cared about? A part of Quatre wanted to keep that secret so deeply hidden she would never see it. The other part of him was breaking to think she might never know.

"Quatre?"

He turned his head her way. The voice had been so small, he hardly heard it in the first place.

"Quatre, I want to go home," Candy said softly with pleading eyes. She looked so sad all of a sudden. "And I don't mean anywhere here, I mean my real home."

Quatre sat up. What was he thinking? It was his fault she had been dragged into all this in the first place. Yet, he had been so busy worried about himself, he hadn't even given a thought to how scared or homesick Candy might be. What kind of friend was he anyway?

"No," a voice answered before Quatre could. "I'm afraid that is not possible."

The two turned their heads and looked up. Behind them stood Trowa.

* * *

Lucretia Noin, in her lonely, familiar prison, sat against the wall, hunched down as if asleep. It had been a day, maybe two since Millardo had been taken away to God knows where by the one who had betrayed them. When a few hours had passed and her love still hadn't been returned to her, Noin started to get worried. After a day, she was frantic. What had they done to him? Was he still even on this planet, Mars? Was he alive? All she knew was that he was missing and she needed to find him.

The first thing on her mind was that there was a camera in her room somewhere, watching her. There had to be. And with that thought, Noin had stripped everything from top to bottom looking for it. Now, her quarters were a mess and she still wasn't a step closer to anything. Not knowing whether or not she was still being watched, Noin let herself drop near the door and stayed there. It may have looked from a camera that she was crying, and in reality, she was close to it.

She stayed that way for hours, feigning to be asleep. But she wasn't. In reality, Noin was stiff and ready. She would stay like that for days if she had to. Her stubborn side was taking over and she was not going to move until that door next to her did.

Finally, her waiting paid off and a guard delivering the usual daily rations activated the door from the outside. That familiar hiss was all Noin needed to jump into action. In a blink she was on her feet and the guard was down after a swift kick to the head. Knowing she didn't have much time, Noin quickly checked the guard for weapons. He had a small stunner on his belt and that was it. Not much to work with, but it was better than nothing.

In a flash, Noin was racing down the halls of the Mars base. Having lived there for almost two years, she knew the place well. And she knew exactly where she was going. If Millardo was still prisoner on this base, he would have been taken to the only other place where the locks on the doors actually worked. The storage area.

She was almost there when two more guards appeared around the next corner. Obviously not as ready as she was, Noin easily stunned them both before they could pull their own weapons on her. Noin was pleased to see that they were carrying a bit heavier artillery than the first guard. After taking both of their rifles, she was off again. In the background, she could hear the sound of an alarm. They knew she was gone now, but it hardly mattered. The storage area was right in front of her. She had no idea how they were going to get out once she found Millardo, but that hardly mattered. As long as they were together, they would be okay. She was sure of it. With Millardo by her side she was unstoppable. All she had to do was free him.

Noin punched her access code into the control panel and then punched the door when it was denied. Of course it wasn't going to take her code. She was being too hopeful in thinking those who held her captive would still leave all their prisoners' passwords active. Plan B was to turn her rifle on the control pannel which most certainly alerted any and all that were on the other side.

Millardo sat up as the sound of bullets resonated through his tiny metal cell.

"What the hell?" he wondered out loud to himself.

The sound of metal banging on metal met his ears next, almost to the point of making him deaf. And with his hands still cuffed together, it was hard to cover his ears. But above all the noise, he thought he heard a voice that sounded very familiar and it was shouting his name.

"Lucretia?" he called as he scrambled to his feet and over to the door.

The banging stopped.

"Millardo, are you in there?" Noin's heart was on fire. Had she heard his voice?

"Yeah, it's me," came a muffled call.

The relief flooding over Noin was almost too much to bear. He was still alive. He was so close to her.

"Hang on, I'm going to get you out."

"Oh, I don't think so," said another man's voice from behind her.

Noin spun around, rifle at ready. Before her was a group of armed men with none other than Benson Hues, the man who claimed to be their friend at the lead.

"Hues," she growled at him.

"Ah, Lucretia, always a pleasure," Benson Hues replied. "I was wondering when you'd make your move. I knew you wouldn't stand to be held alone for too long."

Noin stared him down with venom in her glare.

"Lucretia," Millardo's muffled voice came from the door behind her. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

Noin didn't reply. This was just perfect. She was his only hope and she was badly outnumbered. How did the tables turn so quickly? What was she to do now?

A sharp prick in her thigh was the answer. She looked down to see a dart embedded there and almost instantly, her world began to sway.

"Honestly now, such a pathetic attempt," a woman's voice entered her senses.

Noin's vision blurred as she fell to one knee. Not again. She wasn't going to allow herself to black out again. A woman approached her. One with blinding red hair. Where did she come from?

In the background, there was pounding on the door behind her. Millardo was probably worried. Noin hoped he could forgive her. She had done her best and it wasn't good enough.

Dr. Karen watched without emotion as Noin finally passed out on the floor.

"Alright, get her back to her quarters," she ordered. "And watch her better this time. We don't want anything to happen to her--yet."

As a few guards moved to return Noin's body to her prison, Dr. Karen turned her attention to the damaged storage door. Behind it she could hear a man's voice calling out Lucrecia Noin's name and ramming himself into the door. Still, Dr. Karren was not impressed.

"What do you want us to do?" Benson Hues asked as she approached her.

Dr. Karren looked at the door for a second longer before turning to him. "This one needs some time to settle down. I want some help sent up to assist me in preparing a laboratory. Then I'll be ready to deal with the pilot."

Hues nodded and set off to gather a crew. The woman scientist looked thoughtful. This pilot had spirit. This would indeed be an interesting challenge. She was suddenly glad she had been sent to Mars.

* * *

"What do you mean, Trowa?" Quatre wondered, blinking up at his friend.

"I meant just what I said," Trowa insisted with a serious face. "We cannot send her home. No one is going home."

Candy started to become alarmed at that news. They were going to keep her here? They didn't have the right! Was she going to be this Trowa's prisoner after all?

Quatre could easily see the worry on her face. He stood up between Candy and Trowa protectively. Though in reality, he didn't feel threatened by Trowa's statement. Nothing Trowa did ever worried him at all. It was merely for Candy's sake, he had to find the reason for this.

"Why? What happened?"

"Are you sure you want me to explain here?" Trowa then asked, looking at Candy.

She knew that look. This conversation wasn't meant for her. But Quatre didn't quite seem to catch on.

"Candy is a part of this, too," Quatre insisted. "She can hear this."

"About your kidnaping," Trowa explained. "I don't think it had anything to do with your political position or your wealth."

Candy blinked at the taller man. If they didn't want Quatre to hold as a ransom for money or political favors, what did they want?

"Duo went missing only a few days before you were captured, am I right?" Trowa went on. "I don't think it was a coincidence."

Quatre's eyes went wide as he finally realized what his friend was getting at.

"You mean they're specifically after US?"

Trowa nodded. "Yes, that's my theory. Someone has information on us. They know who we are and where to find us. Or at least those who made it easy to be found."

Quatre hung his head. Yes, that was his fault. Though the fact that he was a Gundam pilot was a secret known by only a few, his name and whereabouts were known to many across the colonies and earth.

"I think it would be best for you to stay with us," Trowa continued. "And to let no one know you are here until we find out who is behind this and why."

Quatre nodded in agreement. "Yes, we'll stay here and keep quiet."

Behind him, Candy was not so convinced. In fact, she was on the verge of panic. What were they talking about? Who was us'? Who where we'? What were they apart of? What secret did they belong to that caused her life to be in danger? What was Quatre doing with this circus performer and why was she not able to leave because of it?

"No!" she cried at the both of them as she jumped to her feet. "I am not staying here! I want to go home!"

It was then that Quatre realized his conversation with Trowa just may have better been spent without Candy.

"Candy, please," Quatre tried to sooth her. "We must do this. We have no choice."

"No choice?" Candy exclaimed. "No choice? Quatre, what's going on? What are you involved in? Tell me!"

She grabbed his sleeve and she pleaded for the truth, but Quatre could hardly bear to look down at her. He wanted to tell her. Down to the very depths of his soul he wanted to confess. But he couldn't. He couldn't stand to have her know what he had done. For her to find out what a horrible person he was; of all the blood he had spilt. Blood from colony citizens. Maybe even of people she had once known and cared for. No, he couldn't do that.

"Quatre," Candy continued to beg, her eyes starting to water. "I need to talk to my father. I have to tell him I'm okay. He must be going mad wondering what's happened to me. I need to at least tell him I'm alive."

With his heart breaking, Quatre looked up at Trowa who was far more qualified to make a better judgement call than he at this point. The stoic young man only shook his head. He would not permit even that.

Candy couldn't believe this. Quatre was doing what this...this...CLOWN said? He obviously didn't care about her, not at all. She was just a prisoner, an inconvenience in this horrible, colorful prison. She could hardly take it any more.

"You're awful!" she cried, pushing Quatre away. "I hate you!"

Before Quatre could stop her, Candy has already fled the scene, tears streaming from her eyes. He wanted to go after her, but Trowa put a hand on his shoulder.

"Give her a while to think about it," he counseled. "But we need to make her understand that she's not a prisoner here. We're doing this to save her life as well. And to do that, we may have to tell her who we really are. Do you understand, Quatre?"

The blonde young man stared into his friend's face and then sighed heavily. "I do Trowa. But to tell is the one thing I've been fearing the most."

* * *

Felicia sighed as she put on a fresh pair of clothes after her shower. It felt so good to be clean and refreshed again. She had needed those extra days to recover. Though admittedly, it had taken longer than she thought. She wondered to herself if those old farts over at the warehouse even cared that she had been gone so long on a mission that should have only taken one night. Even the Gundam took less time than this did. And speaking of which, tonight was now the night to finish up the job and get back there with what she was sent to retrieve. Felicia sighed again. She knew this wouldn't be easy and even partly wished she didn't have to leave.

But it was something that had to be done and she would just have to suck it up and deal with it. All other personal qualms she had with it would have to wait and settled at a later date. Right now, she needed to finally sit down with that Gundam pilot and tell him what was going on.

"It's about time you came out," a voice said as Felicia exited her room. "I've been waiting for you to show yourself for a while."

She looked over to see a thin, tall figure leaning against the wall outside her door with his arms crossed over his chest. Felicia smirked. It looked like she wouldn't have to bother with the task of finding him after all. This Gundam pilot seemed just as eager to talk as she was

"Where's the Commander?" Felicia wondered.

"On duty. Same with Mr. Ray Of Sunshine."

Another smirk from Felicia at the name.

"Well then Duo Maxwell, come in and let's have a chat."

"Oh, trying to trick me into your room while we're alone, huh? I don't know about that," Duo flirted though he had already stepped into Felicia's bedroom and plopped onto her bed without further invitation. Felicia opted to sit in the wicker chair across from him.

"So, where would you like to start?" she asked.

Duo didn't even need to think about it.

"You're the one who broke me out of that laboratory from Hell. Why did you do it and how did you know I was there?"

"I was sent there to get you out and bring you back."

"By whom," Duo asked as he narrowed his eyes. That playful look on his face was gone. This was some serious shit he was getting into.

"I'm not at liberty to say," Felicia instantly replied. "But I will say this: I know that you're a Gundam pilot, as do those who sent me. They requested I find you and bring you to them so they may show you something which they insist will be of interest to you."

Duo looked unconvinced. "So, I'm a sort of prisoner then? Do I have to do what you and these other guys say?"

"No," Felicia insisted. "I will not force you to go with me; but if you do, I will promise you that once you see their offer, you will be able to accept it, or walk away a free man and do whatever you like. I will personally see to it."

Once said, the dark haired woman looked up to see if she was convincing. She wasn't quite sure what to think when she saw Duo's reaction. He no longer looked serious as he folded his arms behind his head and looked whimsically at the ceiling. Felicia was begining to wonder if maybe this young man had suffered a bit of brain trauma in that lab.

"I never really thanked you for saving me, did I?" Duo suddenly spoke. "Who knows where I would be now if it wasn't for you. Probably dead." Then he smiled. "Sure. To thank you for your effort, I'll go see what you've got in store for me, my mysterious and beautiful savior."

Felicia shook her head at the title. This guy was more of a card than a fighter. Did the Professor really need him?

"So, Ms. Felicia with no last name," the pilot then asked as he rubbed his palms together. "When do we go?"

Felicia smiled. "Is now good for you?"

Oh well, it looked as though he would be getting his pilot whether he was needed or not.

* * *

It started to rain over the circus grounds. Trowa and Cathrine had moved off to help the rest of the company pull out tarps and get things under tents. Quatre had been wandering the place almost an hour, umbrella in hand and searching for Candy. He finally found her not too far off. She was crouched under a tree with her knees pulled up to her chest and soaking wet. He slowly walked up to her and stood over her silently, not sure what to do.

"Quatre," Candy was the first to speak. "I'm sorry."

"No," Quatre instantly insisted, squatting down next to her. "I am. This is all my fault, I didn't mean for you to get caught up in this. I should have--"

Candy put her hand over Quatre's mouth to silence him. The rest of the explination came out as muffled muttering.

"Hold on," she ordered. "I'm not done."

But Quatre didn't seem to be listening.

"Oh! You're soaking wet! Here!" he instantly yanked off his jacket and put it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," Candy sighed. He was so funny that way. And again she wondered how a guy like him ended up hiding for his life at a circus camp. "Quatre, I've been thinking. And I'm sorry about what I said. I don't hate you and I know this isn't your fault. I always say things before I think about them. It's horrible of me, I know. I feel so bad."

"No, it's okay," Quatre insisted as he sat down next to her in the damp grass. He suddenly didn't care if the rain got him, too. "I understand. I would have done the same thing in your place. I would have wanted...answers." A tremor shot through him at that last word. He was going to have to tell her.

"Yeah, but I've been thinking a lot about it," Candy replied. "There's a lot of things I don't know, but what I do know is that I know you. I know you're a good person and you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. Even if there are things you can't tell me, I trust you Quatre. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

Quatre stared at her, dumbfounded. This certainly wasn't the conversation he was preparing for.

"I..I...Okay..." was all his befuddled mind could manage at the moment.

"Quatre?" Candy asked.

"Yes?"

She again surprised him as she looped her arm through his and rested her cheek on his shoulder. "Can you stay out here with me just a little longer? I don't want to go in yet."

Quatre looked down at her and a pain rose up in his chest that was more profound than he had ever felt before.

"Yeah," he replied in a whisper. "I can do that."

* * *

A Preventer's jeep drove up to Commander Sally Po's house as it had done many times before. The driver, this time, was a bit surprised when he saw no lights on at the house upon his arrival. Still, he turned off the engine and walked up to the house. Yes, even close up it was still dark.

"Hey," came a calm greeting in the darkness.

Wufei looked to either side of him for the source. Then he looked up. A small figure was crouched on top of the roof like she had done often the last time she had lived there. Wufei half smiled to himself in the darkness before climbing up to join her.

The night remained quiet for several more moments as Wufei took a seat next to Felicia on the roof. She, for her part, didn't even look at him as he approached. Finally, Wufei couldn't take the silence any more and had to ask.

"Where's Duo?"

"He's gone," was Felicia's simple reply.

"And so will you with him, I'm sure," Wufei surmised.

"You know me too well, you little bastard."

"Devil Onna," Wufei shot back; but there was no bite in the retort this time. It just seemed normal. He gave an ironic smile to the darkness. When did he get so comfortable with this stranger? One that refused to stay in his life long enough to be anything but.

"So, where are you going now? What will you do?" Wufei then asked, looking at the sky and not at her.

"I don't know," Felicia admitted. "It's hard to ever know. I don't even know if I'll see you or Sally again after this."

That comment caused Wufei to finally look her way. He knew what that was like; to not know what your future brought. He could hardly say he was envious. But for some reason, a knot formed in his stomach at the thought of her leaving for good.

"Is that so?" was all he managed to say.

"Wufei," Felicia started, taking her turn to look at the sky. "Things are starting to get messy in this galaxy. No one knows what might happen. I just want to let you know that where ever we end up, I won't allow us to become enemies in all of this. I will always be on your side."

Wufei looked at her with wide eyes. He certainly wasn't expecting any kind of comment like that from her. What brought that on? He turned his head to the sky and laughed right out at the thought.

"You crazy woman! What an odd thing for you to say. What makes you think that we would ever--"

He turned to look at her, but she had already disappeared into the night.

"Felicia?"

That was probably the first time he had ever used her name. Wufei jumped to his feet, still reeling from the fact that he was suddenly alone with his thoughts and his spinning emotions. She was gone. That was it. This may have been the last time and all he did was laugh. Why was he so stupid? Why did he have to blow his last minutes like that? Why could he never say the things he wanted to when it really mattered?

"FELICIA!"

* * *

The laboratory door slammed open as two guards came in with a struggling, handcuffed man between them. Dr. Karen calmly looked at the angry, blonde pilot as he was strapped down onto a table.

"You may go now," she told the guards after Millardo had been secured.

They left, leaving the ex-pilot alone with this gorgeous woman with unfeeling eyes. As she stepped closer, he could see her eyes were cold like the deepest ice.

"So, you are the infamous Zechs Marquis," Dr. Karen started. "I've studied your work. It's quite brilliant. You know years back it was theorized that the best mobile suit pilots could only be genetically altered and specifically created for that soul purpose. Who would have thought the most legendary pilot of our age came without the aid of science or grew up with training from the gundams." She leaned closer, giving Millardo a smile that didn't settle him none too well. "I never would have dreamed such a pilot was so handsome, either."

Millardo scowled at her.

"Where is Ms. Noin?" he demanded. "What have you done with her?"

"Ah, your lover," Dr. Karen smirked as she pulled away. "She's fine for now. What happens to her will be determined by how well you behave. As long as you accept my treatment without any fuss, no harm will come to her."

"Treatment?" Millardo wondered. He watched Dr. Karen fiddle with her instruments. "I see. You're going to try and brainwash me. You're foolish if you think that will get me to fight on your side."

Dr. Karen didn't look too worried at the statement. She smiled again; this time making Millardo's stomach churn. He didn't have a good feeling about this.

"We'll see," she purred. "Please fight against it if you want. I do so love a challenge."


	15. Chapter 15: Death of a Pacifist

Children of War  
By: Ghost of the Dawn

Chapter Fifteen: Death of a Pacifist

This girl named Felicia was not the best travel companion, as Duo soon learned. After leaving the house of Preventer's Major Sally Po, they had traveled nonstop. Through the entire time, Duo did nothing else but follow Felicia where ever she went. There wasn't much else to do. After leaving Sally's house in the middle of the night, they got on a bus heading straight out of town and far away from any Preventer influence. It was three and a half hours to the next city. To Duo, it felt more like three days of nothing but silence.

This Felicia girl was no fun to travel with at all. It was just as bad as running around with Heero or Trowa. She wasn't very talkative and with his throat still a bit sore, Duo didn't push the issue too often. He had asked a few times where they were going, but Felicia's answer had always been the same. Something along the lines of he would know when they got there. That was it. Now Duo was forced to just sit back and wait. He didn't even get a damn window seat! Man, this ride was boring! What was he supposed to do? Just look at the ceiling until...

"Wait," Duo suddenly announced. A flash of the night he was rescued blinked in his memory. "Weren't you driving a...car or something when we busted out of the laboratory?"

Felicia looked over at him, a bit surprised that he remembered such a thing. Then a smile tugged at the side of her mouth and wouldn't let go as she turned back to gaze out the window. Duo was not amused. He didn't like that look at all. It was if she understood a punch line of a joke that he did not. It was very frustrating.

"Well?" he demanded. "Were you or not? And if you were, then where is it? And why are we going by smelly bus to where ever it is we're going? And when are we going to get there?"

Felicia turned to him again, this time her smile was gone.

"Honestly, it's like taking care of a child with you," she informed him, equally unimpressed. "How on earth could you possibly be a qualified Gundam pilot?"

"Ah, my charm and good looks, obviously," Duo shot right back.

Felicia made a noise that told she highly disagreed and that was the end of that conversation.

Once in the next city, the two got off and went right to the airport. Duo's stomach still wasn't feeling back to its usual yet, so he didn't fancy the thought of flying. He was also about to argue that they didn't have tickets or anything when Felicia shoved a passport in his face.

Dumbfounded, Duo opened it up to find a ticket with a passport that had his picture and all his information in it. Whoever was helping this girl get him really knew their stuff. Before he knew it, he and his new travel companion were soon on a plane with destination unknown. And he was still stuck in a damn isle seat while Felicia got the window!

"Why don't you ever talk to me?" Duo whined after they were in the air for a while. "We're obviously going to be together for a while, don't you think we should get to know each other?"

Felicia didn't turn from the window, but she did close her eyes as if a headache was coming on.

"No, I don't," she insisted.

"What? Well why not? It's not like we have anything else to do."

"And it's not like anything that happens here will matter," Felicia countered. "This is just business. Once this little venture is over, we will go our separate ways and most likely never see each other again. So what's the point?"

Duo slumped in his chair. It was like trying to rationalize with a machine. Feeling defeated, Duo picked up a magazine and pretended to read. Though all the while his mind was spinning over what could possibly lie ahead.

Felicia had said that those who she was working for knew he was a Gundam pilot and Duo felt it was safe to assume that he was being summoned because of it. But why just him? Why didn't she take Wufei, too? What was required of just Duo Maxwell and no one else? So many questions plagued his mind and into his dreams. Duo had not been aware he had fallen asleep until Felicia woke him later that evening.

"We've landed," was all she said as she got up.

Once off and out, the two got a taxi. Duo felt his heart race as they rode through this new city. Further into it they went until they were almost driving out the other side. There wasn't much here but old buildings, factories, and warehouses.

"Here Driver, that's good," Felicia announced.

Duo was wide eyed as Felicia got out and paid the driver

"Where the hell are we?" he demanded when they were left alone in the fading light. "We're in the middle of nowhere! Why did you take me out here? Are you going to kill me or something?"

Felicia smiled, showing the most humanity Duo had seen from her yet. She tugged on his sleeve as she started walking.

"Not too far now," she told him. "Then I hope you can find answers to all your questions."

Sitting on a road even further back than the one they had started on was a very large, square warehouse. Felicia walked up to the key pad on the door and punched in a series of digits. The lock beeped twice before the door fell open. Duo found himself holding his breath. It was indeed an incredibly large building; far away where no one would ever find him again. Just like the last one he was in. Was it worth the risk?

'_Too late,'_ Duo thought to himself as he heard the door click shut behind him. Somehow he had already made it inside. How did that happen? _'I'm such a sucker for a pretty face,'_ he thought lamely.

Inside was dimly lit and spacious. The roof was several stories above them and not much else could be seen. Just a lot of empty space. Felicia wandered around in it a bit with Duo lagging behind her. Finally, she gave out a deep breath and put her hands on her hips.

"Now where are those two old–"

"Ah, so you're back," came a familiar voice that instantly grated on Felicia's nerves. "You're late."

Felicia spun around, not looking too happy.

"Yeah," she grouched. "No thanks to you. I'm the one risking my neck out there while you just sit on your ass where it's safe. You're lucky I made it back at all this time. Here's your damn pilot, as promised."

Duo squinted at the short figure in the shadows. This was the person behind it all. This guy seemed familiar to him somehow. Who was it?

"Duo, long time no see," Professor G said as he stepped into the light.

Duo's eyes grew wide.

"I–It's you again!" he exclaimed. "Damnit!"

"It's nice to see you, too," the old man smiled in amusement.

Duo was beside himself. What did a guy have to do to get these pesky old geezers to stop meddling in his business?

"What the hell do YOU want? I have a real life now. I'm not a Gundam pilot anymore."

The scientist was not convinced. "Oh really. Then look over there."

Duo looked as a few lights flickered on in a back corner of the place. What was illuminated in them was the one figure that floated about all his dreams and danced through his nightmares. Trance-like, Duo made his way over to it and just stared up at the familiar behemoth towering over him. The dreaded Deathsythe itself.

"No...way..." he breathed. "I-It can't be. I thought you were destroyed, Bug Guy. How did you make it back?"

Felicia watched the braided pilot with an eyebrow raised. 'Is he talking to that thing?'

"Well, it looks like everyone knows everyone," Felicia announced with a yawn. "So I'll be turning in now."

"Not so fast," Professor G said before she could go. Master O and I are very interested to see how all this has affected your response with the new ZERO System."

"ZERO System?" Duo repeated as he snapped his head around. He knew that phrase all too well.

"What?" Felicia whined. "Are you serious? I just got back!"

"And what better time for a test?" Professor G countered. "The System must be tested on all different physical conditions of the pilot. This is important. It will be just one simulation."

Felicia ran her fingers through her dark hair and sighed. "Fine. Just one and then I get to go to bed."

The deal seemed to suit the old man fine and he moved off to inhabit the controls. Now torn from his long lost friend by curiosity of other kinds, Duo momentarily abandoned the Deathscythe to run after Felicia. "What is he talking about with the ZERO System?" he demanded. "Don't you know that thing makes you crazy?"

"It's not a big deal," Felicia insisted. "I've done it several times before. It's just this thing here."

Duo felt a bit relieved when he just saw the small copy cockpit attached to the floor instead of a real Gundam. At least she wouldn't have any power to tear the place down if things got out of control. Still, Duo had learned that the ZERO System was not necessarily a good thing.

Felicia got in the small simulation chamber. Duo watched her strap on a curious looking helmet as the door closed her in and he could no longer see her inside. Thus, Duo opted to wander up to the control platform and observe from there. Both Professor G and Master O were already up there. A sight that didn't sit too well with the skeptical Gundam pilot.

Professor G glanced at the figure standing behind them with his arms crossed in disapproval over his chest. Duo had grown much since last he'd seen the young man. He was quite a bit taller now; six feet easily. A shadow of a smile graced the old professor's face as he idly wondered if Duo would still fit into the Deathscythe's cockpit.

There was a humming of generators as the system was switched on. Several lights blinked on the control panel as the two aging scientists began their current test.

"You can see what she is seeing in the simulation right there," Professor G said as he pointed to one of the screens.

Duo frowned at the insinuation of him wanting to see. He had been trying very hard not to appear curious when in all actuality, he was very much. Though not very happy with the old man seeing right through his facade, Duo still looked.

It seemed normal enough to him as the simulation started. Felicia was pitted against mobile dolls right off and she did fine against them, taking them down. They hardly looked a challenge from Duo's point of view. Perhaps he had been worried about nothing.

"Jump to the final level," Professor G ordered.

Master O moved to comply, pressing buttons and flipping switches. Duo continued to watch, wondering what this "final level" held. He had to admit, he was a bit surprised to see five familiar gundams appear on the screen. But then again, he then realized he shouldn't have been that surprised considering who had made the program.

"Turn on the audio," Professor G then said.

Duo listened as he could then hear a soft breathing. He easily assumed that it was Felicia in her tiny cockpit below. It was rhythmic, yet a bit uneasy. As if she were anticipating something.

"Go ahead and do it, you old bastards," Duo could hear her growl. "I know you can hear me and I don't have all night."

"Very well," Professor G said.

He pushed a button and the screen flashed the words "ZERO SYSTEM ACTIVE".

"Now," the old man then said. "Have the Gundam programs attack on their hardest level."

"Right," Master O said, typing on the keys.

Duo's attention was riveted to the different screens. "GUNDAM SYSTEM LEVEL 9" flashed on one of them before he saw what was projected in Felicia's simulation cockpit. There was empty space and then he saw picture replicas of the Gundams he and his comrades had flown nearly three years previous. It gave him a funny feeling down in the pit of his stomach to see them again.

There was a sharp breath over the speakers as the gundams attacked. The breathing grew heavier along with grunts and gasps as Felicia did her best to fight off the five Gundams all attacking at once. Duo's eyes grew larger as he watched the fight on screen.

"Holy shit! You copied our fighting styles! All of them!" he exclaimed. He knew those tactics anywhere, even in mere simulation.

"Yes, Duo," Professor G agreed. "We made a simulation program based on your data and designed the computer to think just like you would. It is the closest mankind has ever come to the real thing. Of course, they can still be beaten by a human pilot. That, perhaps, may never change even with a thousand more years of research."

Duo didn't know how to reply to that. He glanced over at the screen to see that the fight was now over. The five virtual Gundams had won over the pilot of flesh and blood.

"Well, it looks like even a copy of myself is still a force to be reckoned with.," Duo then announced with gusto.

"You're still a just a foolish young man," Professor G admonished. "You really have no idea what you just saw, do you?"

Duo blinked at him blankly.

"That girl down there has only been on the simulator for a few weeks. Before that, she had no previous pilot training whatsoever. She is at that skill level from the mental affects of the ZERO System alone."

"No way!" Duo argued. "That's impossible!"

"You'd think so," the old man chuckled. "Can you imagine what price this thing would go for to any organization? To be able to make an army of unbeatable pilots in only a month or two without years of training–the worth of it is almost unimaginable."

Duo stared at him. "You...that's crazy! There's no way that can be healthy for a person!"

Professor G smiled. "We'll see, won't we?" He turned to his fellow scientist. "How are the girl's vitals, Master O?"

"Her heartbeat is a bit above normal," the taller man replied. "Brain waves jumped a bit during the simulation, but are normal now."

"Good. She can go. I could use a bit of sleep as well."

Duo watched, a bit stunned as the two older men left. He was still trying to soak it all in.

'_Man, I don't believe it,'_ he thought. _'I knew those guys were a bit off their rocker, but this is almost inhumane. What else have they been doing for their tests?'_

His train of thought left when he noticed Felicia climb out of the chamber below. Duo hurried down the steps to her as she took off her helmet.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Don't be stupid," Felicia replied with an unimpressed look. "Hell will freeze over before I let those geezers and their stupid programs get the best of me."

"Well excuse me for showing some concern," Duo retorted. Then he asked "Hey, is it true you really haven't had any pilot training before this?"

Felicia looked back at the simulation pod as she set her helmet on top of it. "Nope. And I'm not too interested in pursuing this any longer once their done with me. I hate machines."

Duo mulled that over in his head while he looked inside the mock cockpit. In the simulation he saw, she may not have been able to beat five gundams at once, but there were very few in the galaxy that could boast such at thing. All things considered, this new ZERO System had made her a better pilot that even some professionals from the military he had seen.

Placing his hand on the contraption, Duo idly wondered what it would do to an already highly trained pilot like himself.

Felicia seemed to sense what he was thinking for her entire attitude suddenly changed from annoyance to concern.

"You're not thinking of trying it, are you?"

Duo just looked at her.

"Don't," Felicia warned. "Whatever curiosities you have, they're not worth getting in there. Trust me."

Duo furrowed his brows on suspicion. "Why?"

"Didn't you just say to me earlier that the program makes you crazy? Or has it already messed with your brain too much?"

Duo dropped his hand with a sigh. "You're right. I should know better. I suppose I'm crazy enough as it is without this."

Felicia raised an eyebrow at him. This young man always said the weirdest things.

"Come on," she said. "Since those guys don't give a rip about us, I'll show you some place you can rest."

* * *

In another part of the planet, a meeting was being held. A meeting that would most likely determine the future of all mankind. At the head of the table was Relena Darlian-Peacecraft. The two names were given to her by two different families. To her, one meant peace and the other meant war. And somehow, she could not bear to part with either.

Her name, however, was the farthest thing from her thoughts at the moment. Right now, she was standing at the head of a long table full of several of the highest political leaders of Earth. To her left sat the commander of the Preventers, Lady Une.

Relena swallowed as the rest of the members of the room, all older than her, looked at her expectantly. Her mouth was going dry. She had discussed this plan with Commander Une for several hours, but now, she was fighting to keep the strength to repeat this plan again to all these people.

"Thank you all for coming," she began. Relena could hear her own voice tremble a bit and she fought to keep it steady. "As you know, we have gathered today to address the manner of action to be taken against the terrorist activities going on in the colonies."

"And what action might that be?"

Relena looked up. The Representative of the North American region, Jason Dawes stared her down. Relena clenched her fists at her side. She tried to be prepared for this–for him. Jason Dawes was possibly the second youngest one there. He was only a few years older than she, but he seemed, by far, the sharpest one in the lot. Nothing much got past him or those intense icy blue eyes of his that were now drilling Relena to the core. Though he had never right out opposed her on anything, Relena had the growing feeling that this young man was her biggest adversary in all of this.

"Right to the point, as usual, Mr. Dawes," Relena replied, steeling her gaze on him.

"I don't like to beat around the bush," he replied. "Now admit it, you want to send Preventer troops up in space to take back the occupied colonies."

"Well, yes...I--"

"Even though the colonies suspect Earth to be behind the terrorist attacks in the first place," Jason continued.

"I suppose.."

"Despite the risk that the terrorist ploy might be a trick."

"I don't think--" Relena tried again.

"Are you willing to gamble on our men? Do you really want to send them out there with the chance that colony troops will turn on them?"

"I do!" Relena retorted, slapping her palms on the table. "Commander Unne and I are aware of the risks, but we believe this course of action to be the right one."

Jason just smiled his annoying smile at Relena's determined expression.

"But what's happening in space shouldn't matter," he insisted as he leaned lazily back in his chair.

"Young man, what are you talking about?" another representative spoke up. "This is an act of terrorism."

"Towards the colonies, not us," Jason continued. "The colonies have always been ruled by a force separate from and, more often than not, against Earth. Right now, I'm sure what's going on up there is a simple power struggle between two different leaders for control. When it is over, we'll still be back to where we started: the Earth against the colonies. Why waste our resources now?"

"Because the people are suffering," Relena cut in. "I don't care on whose ground it is happening. Innocent people are losing their homes and their lives and I cannot just sit by and wait any longer. I want to help them. The risk, I think, is worth it."

A few of the other representatives clapped at Relena's passionate speech. Jason held his say, but it was clear he wasn't too happy.

"Now," Relena continued. "I have spoken with the high officials of the colonies and they are prepared to sign a temporary truce with us that will allow us to combine our forces for the removal of the terrorists from the occupied colonies. Nothing more." As she spoke, several screens lit up around the room with a different colony official on each one. "I also hope," Relena added. "That in this opportunity to work together, it will open the door to bringing the colonies and Earth together."

As the other representatives voiced their agreement and enthusiasm for working together, Relena glanced back at the dark haired man who opposed her earlier. He didn't seem as put out as he did earlier. He was simply sitting in his chair quietly with a calm expression on his face. Had he accepted defeat? Or, Relena hoped, maybe he was beginning to agree with her idea.

As she wondered, something else struck her. It was that conversation she had a while ago with Dorothy Catalonia after a meeting such as this. Dorothy had spoken of a peace through war. "War makes way for new beginnings..." she had said. Relena was startled to realize she understood this phrase better now. In fact, it was her that was weaseling in a possibility of peace by making pacts through this war. Was this what Dorothy was talking about? And was that why Mr. Jason Dawes was now quiet in all his arguments? Was she playing into their hands or they in to hers?

At this point, Relena decided that she didn't care who was playing the puppet for whom. If she was being lead on a path that would ultimately bring forth peace, she would gladly follow whomever was pulling the strings.

* * *

The meeting went on better than Relena thought it would. The colonies were eager to help and Earth was willing to make a truce and get their troops up in space–for whatever reason each representative was hoping for. It still took a while to get the particulars of the truce on paper and have everyone agree with it, but Relena was very happy with the out come of it all. Now all that remained would be the press release the next day stating to the public what was going to happen.

To her surprise, Jason Daws was one of the last people to leave the meeting room when it was over. He hadn't said much after all his arguments had been vetoed and quietly held his peace throughout the rest of the meeting. Relena thought for sure he would have been one of the first to leave after that. But he didn't. In fact, the young man seemed in hardly any hurry at all. He continued to sit in his seat with a contemplative look for several minutes afterward before getting up. When he was about to leave, Relena finally approached him.

"Tell me, Mr. Dawes," she said to him. "Why is it that you seem to oppose every idea and purpose I speak for? Do you have something against me?"

The tall young man just looked down at her and smiled cryptically. "Every good leader needs good councilors, Ms. Peacecraft. Ones who force them to consider every option–even the ones they believe to be wrong."

Relena was at a loss. How does one reply to an answer like that? Could she even call it an answer? It didn't matter. As Jason exited the room, Relena still felt relief and a bit of happiness that she had won.

* * *

Another member of Relena's cabinet; Commander Grimaud of the Cinq Kingdom, however, was not happy. He had been trying hard not to look too concerned during the meeting, but now, he was mopping his brow in agitation as he got in his car. As the driver started off for the hotel he was staying at, Commander Grimaud wondered how long he should wait before reporting such news to his superior.

This wasn't good for their plans, to be sure. It had not been expected for the Earth's forces to unite and decide on a plan of action so quickly. Yes, the Earth and the colony leaders were opening channels of communication and offering help far earlier than it had been estimated. All because of that young girl who was hardly even legal age. Because of her past, Earth and outer space both loved her. She had a reputation of caring for everyone, for being honest and always working hard for the interest of the people. If Relena had not been involved, Commander Grimaud was sure that the two sides would still be distrusting of each other and possibly even on their way to war. Which is what he–they– wanted.

The Commander made these thoughts known when he called in to give his report.

"It's way too early, Mr. Underwood," he sweated into the phone. "I never would have guessed that little girl could get Earth and the colonies to work together so soon! It's uncanny!"

"And you were supposed to make sure she didn't," a deep voice seethed from the other end.

"I tried, sir!" Grimaud pleaded. "But she did it all behind my back! I don't think she trusts me."

"Moron! It's obvious she doesn't trust you! And if there is no trust, then I have no use for you!"

The commander swallowed and wiped his perspiring brow. He knew all too well that this was not a man to get angry.

"Very well," Mr. Underwood's voice then continued. "We have no choice now but to act fast. We must do something to rattle the masses. Something so heinous, not even Relena Darlian-Peacecraft will be able to put the pieces back together."

Grimaud swallowed again. "And what," he asked in a dry voice. "Would that be?"

He could almost hear his boss smiling on the other end.

"To get rid of her."

"Bu-but sir! I thought you wanted to keep attention on the colonies!"

"Oh, we are," Mr. Underwood insisted. "With humanity's favorite ambassador dead, fingers will quickly be pointed to the one place currently having terrorist problems. With the girl gone, you will be in charge and will be able to easily guide the people towards war. Earth will, with no doubt, follow in search of revenge for her death."

"Are...are you sure," the commander rasped out. "This is a big step. People are going to start looking for you with her dead."

His word of warning seemed to go unheeded.

"It was interesting to see her work. But now, she's worth more to me dead than alive. Go on to your business as ususal, "Grimaud". I will arrange it all."

The phone cut out without waiting for a reply. The aged man held the buzzing receiver to his ear long after the conversation was disconnected. This was a big step. But, in his line of work, there wasn't any room for hesitation–or mistakes.

"Yes, sir," he rasped to himself.

* * *

Felicia tossed in her sleep. Something was calling her; buzzing in her head. She couldn't pick out any specific words, but there was a presence. An annoying, overbearing presence that refused to let her rest. It shoved away her dreams and nagged her to action. Her eyes instantly popped open and Felicia was left in her dark room, wondering what happened.

She blinked a few times in the blackness. Her room was empty; though she could have sworn someone was there urging her to awake. Her first thought was that it might have been that annoying Duo guy. He hadn't stopped asking questions even as she led him to a room he could sleep and shut the door in his face. But he was not there. Nor was anyone else. The place was dead quiet.

No longer feeling tired, Felicia got off her cot and trudged over to the light switch. She idly thought about making herself something to eat as she flipped on the light. As the light bulb flitted on, a figure flashed next to her.

Felicia's first instinct was to scream. She tumbled backwards at the sight of the tall man in her room and tripped over a few odds and ends laying around before tumbling back to her cot. There she sat panting, still feeling the adrenaline surging through her body at the surprise. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the apparition standing before her.

"Did I startle you?" the man asked.

Felicia then frowned. "No shit, Sherlock. I still have your book, if that's what you've come for."

The man just smiled at her. It was a kind of sad smile.

"I know who you are," Felicia went on. "You're Trieze Kushrenada. You're supposed to be dead– killed in action. You're not real, you're a ghost. Mr. Kushrenada, are you aware of that?"

He was about to reply when there was a knock at the door.

"Felicia?" It was Duo's voice.

_That idiot! _"What do you want?"

Duo took that response as an invitation and let himself in. "I heard a noise. Are you okay?" Felicia just stared at the young man as he surveyed the room. He didn't seem to care that there were three people present where there should have only been two.

_Doesn't he see him?! _She panicked to herself. _Is he frickin' blind or something?_

The presence identified as Mr. Kushrenada continued to stand where he was and made no attempt to move or speak while Duo was in the room. Duo, however was looking at Felicia expectantly.

"Oh," she replied. "I uh...I just tripped when I tried to turn on the light. Sorry to wake you. You can go back to bed now."

Duo sighed. "I get the hint, I'm going. See you tomorrow."

His braid swished behind him as he turned and shut the door. Felicia waited a few moments before speaking or even moving a muscle from where she was.

"What the hell?" she hissed at the apparition. "Why didn't he see you?"

The ghost actually shrugged at this. "I'm not sure. You are the only person I've ever been able to establish contact with. And believe me, I've tried with several others."

"So, I'm not exactly your first choice then, huh?" Felicia wondered, sounding a bit cynical. "So then why the hell did you go through all this trouble to find someone to steal a blank book for you?"

Treize smiled at her as if he knew something she didn't. Felicia didn't like that smile.

"There is something you must see in there," Treize insisted. "But you are not ready to read it yet. I need you to keep it for a while until it's time."

Felicia glared at him. "So then what do you want from me now? And for that matter, why are you here to begin with? What's keeping a spirit like you, the great and admired hero, Treize Kushrenada, from passing on to the next world?"

"Unfinished business, of course," the man smiled.

"Of course," Felicia sighed.

"At the time of my death," Treize explained. "I thought my business here was finished. But as soon as my spirit left my body, I realized that I had left some things undone."

"And you want me to do them for you," Felicia surmised with a frown.

"You are the only one who can. Remember, I guaranteed you something in return. If you listen to me, I will lead you on a path that will bring you all your answers as well. I promise."

Felicia bit her lip. It was true, she was infamous for taking strange requests by anyone. It was a personal policy she lived by for a reason only she knew. Now, however, she was starting to regret it. If she couldn't put a restriction on requests from beyond the grave, then where could she put it? Still, the bigger question was, should the living be trusting the dead?

* * *

Wufei yawned. It wasn't too early, but he had been used to late night shifts. This one, however, was a special request from Major Sally herself. Events like these didn't happen every day so Wufei made this exception from his regular schedule.

It had been almost an hour since Sally had left to meet Lady Une and Relena. She had been given the privilege of leading a group of highly trained Preventers to serve as body guards during Relena's world/space address which she would be giving soon. This broadcast would be monumental and be on every television on Earth and within the colonies. Because of this, security was high priority. Nothing would be the same after Relena's statements to the world. The best soldiers the Preventors had to offer would be protecting her if anything were to happen.

Of course, Wufei easily fell into the category of which troops were assigned guard duty. However, Sally had a bigger roll in mind for him. In the Major's absence, Wufei was put in charge of the entire Preventer's base.

As awesome as it sounded, Wufei had to admit it was a pretty cake job when everything was quiet. Naturally, that would change in an instant were something serious to happen. As of right now, however, everything was quiet and boring. Hence, why Wufei yawned.

He then checked his watch. One hour and five minutes since Sally left. And he had nothing else better to do than watch a collection of satellite monitors for the rest of the day. How boring.

Wufei idly wished he had insisted on going with Sally and leaving someone else to do this job. At least then he would have a change of scenery. But as quickly as the thought entered his mind, he pushed it away. There had been a reason he did not offer and was still not interested in being there. That reason came in the form of Relena Darlian-Peacecraft.

Now, there was nothing personal between Wufei and the female ambassador. In fact, they had hardly ever had two words between themselves. Neither could Wufei put into words what it was that made him dislike her company. As a Preventer, his job had taken him across Relena's path a few times over the years. And though none of the times were they in direct contact with each other, Wufei was aware of a certain look Relena gave him every time he saw her.

What it meant or why she did it, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he felt uneasy under the gaze of that woman. It was such a strange look. Like she was accusing him and expecting something of him at the same time. With that look came a tangible thickness in the air. It grated on Wufei's nerves and made him wish she would just take her glares and go away.

Though he didn't know what Relena wanted, Wufei did have a slight theory on why she would always look at him so strange. He was sure it had to do with his past as a Gundam pilot. Even among the Preventers, he would still get strange looks when the gossip went around about what he did during the war. The Gundams were legendary everywhere and he was only fifteen when that legend began. That alone was enough for much talk and speculation.

However, Wufei was sure Relena's motives were deeper than that. He suspected the reason was that his past coincided with another Gundam pilot. An individual Relena had far more interest in than himself.

A few month's ago, Wufei had been informed by Quatre that an effort was being rallied to locate Heero Yuy. Whether or not Relena was involved in the search, Wufei was not sure. What he was sure of was the fact that he would not want to be in Heero's shoes for the world. Nor did he appreciate this girl giving him accusing looks just because he had stuck around in society while Heero and made it his business to vanish off the face of existence. And for that, Wufei didn't blame him one bit.

"Sir, come take a look at this."

Wufei was jarred from his thoughts when a lower soldier called out to him. Over on the large communication consoles, three very confused soldiers were typing away and staring at the screen with blank looks on their faces. Wufei took his time getting up, sure it was nothing too urgent. He wandered over to where they were.

"What is it?" he asked.

The one who was typing replied. "It looks like some incoming message, but it's encoded. It's something we've never seen before. We have no idea how to break it."

"Maybe we should send it to the specialists division," another suggested. "They're pretty good. They should have it deciphered by the end of the day."

"Mmm, let me give it a try, first," Wufei offered.

The solider sitting quickly gave up his chair, curious to see if Wufei could make any sense of it all.

The Chinese man sat himself down and lazily punched a few keys. What he then realized, however, made his eyes go wide. He knew this code. It was the same encoding and the same frequency he and the other Gundam pilots had used during the war. Were one of them trying to contact him? If so, it must be important.

This message had Wufei's full interest now. He typed like crazy, quickly unlocking the puzzle which had, until now, held the information from them. The others looked on, amazed at how quickly words were popping up on the screen. Every set of eyes present read the message when it's entirety had been unlocked.

There was a long span of silence as the shock of what the message said sank in.

"Sir," on of the soldiers managed to whisper. "Is this for real?"

Wufei just stared. This wasn't from any of the other Gundam pilots. He somehow knew that deep down in his gut. The same sense was also telling him who it was really from and that this was very much for real.

"Stay here," Wufei ordered. "I've got to go look into this."

The three lower-classed soldiers saluted.

"Sir, should we contact Major Sally about this?"

"No!" Wufei turned and barked. "Delete that message and don't tell anyone. If anyone down there got wind of this, it may endanger the lives of our own as well. I'll take care of this myself."

He snatched up his jacket as he ran off down the hall. The three befuddled soldiers were still saluting after he was gone, not sure what else to do. This was big; overwhelming. If Wufei failed in this, only heaven and hell could know what the consequences would be.

* * *

"MISTER HEERO!"

Heero bit back a grunt as he hit his head. He had been repairing a car engine when Kade had yelled at him, startling him enough to bonk his head on the hood. He rubbed it, not voicing his discomfort as he looked at the child.

"Dr. J says to come right now. There's something on the tv," Kade informed him.

Heero huffed quietly, but set down his tools. What could be so important on the tv that he had to come right now?

Wiping the grease from his dirty hands on an equally dirty rag, he left the garage part of the building and walked into the living quarters. He and the boy that he saved from a mobile doll attack, Kade, had been living with Dr. J for almost a week now. Originally, Heero had just dropped by to get information from the old man. He was searching for information about who was behind the mobile doll attacks on the colonies and why. Unfortunately, the old man knew just about as much as he did, leaving Heero back on square one.

Not sure about what to do next, Heero decided to hole up with the old scientist for a while and take some time to plot his next move. In the meantime, he helped out with Dr. J's business. The old scientist ran a modest shop which bragged to be able to repair anything for a fair price. Though Heero wasn't much help with the high tech robotic appliances that sometimes came in, he found he was pretty good about fixing vehicles. In a small way, he also enjoyed the work. It gave him some quiet time to think and try to figure out where he should go from there.

He had been in one of his deep funks when Kade had called him. Hence, why he had been startled. Heero did not look too happy when he trudged into the main room where a few chairs and the tv was.

Dr J looked up at him as he came in. "I thought you might be interested in seeing this," the old man explained. "Miss Relena Darlain-Peacecraft is going to be on."

Heero's eyebrow twitched a bit at the name, but no other reaction could be seen on his face.

"She's going to give Earth's official standpoint on the terrorist incident and what their course of action will be," Dr. J continued. "This will probably change things both in Earth and in the colonies drastically. You know that girl; she can never do anything small."

Heero didn't reply, but apparently, he was interested enough in the topic to sit down and await the address to all mankind. This may have been what he was waiting for. Following this announcement just might help give him the direction he was looking for.

* * *

From her place behind the curtain, Relena was a nervous wreck. She could hear the media crowd only a few yards away. Before her loomed the open stage and the podium like a death sentence.

This was big; very big. Bigger, even than the time she was pronounced Queen of Earth for a short period. What she had done then changed the history of her time. What she was about to do now, was practically the same thing. But it felt different somehow. This time, it felt that the results of this speech would fling her forward into her destiny–or, put a nail in her grave. Perhaps either way one looked at it, it was about the same thing.

Relena knew what she had to say was going to make some people very angry; very dangerous people. But as much as it was dangerous, it was also the right thing to do. Relena had stared death in the face before and she wasn't going to back out this time either.

Next to her, Commander Une put a hand on her shoulder. She gave the younger woman a reassuring smile. Commander Grimaud of the Cinq Kingdom was now stepping on stage to announce Relena. Her time was almost here. Relena's heart was racing. She heard neither Grimaud's words on stage nor Commander Une's as she spoke into her com to the rest of her security unit scattered around.

Strangely enough, Relena's thoughts drew inward and she found herself thinking about only one thing. One person. Someone completely unrelated to this event; someone who had given her strength to go on for a long time now.

Relena finally heard her name and she stepped out on the stage with cameras flashing in her face. Deep down in her heart, she hoped he was watching her and that he would once again send her strength.

* * *

Everyone was watching this announcement. Everyone wanted to know what their future held. Even in a small circus camp site, two ex-Gundam pilots, a female knife thrower and a businessman's young red haired daughter were as eagerly waiting the announcement as the rest of the world.

However, though the meeting was held on Earth, it was up in one particular space colony millions of miles away that Heero stood up in his chair with alarm written clearly on his face. Even though he was so far away and all he had to see the event with was one television screen, as the camera shot around the media, Heero Yuy was the first person to see the gun.

* * *

Relena breathed out as she stared at all the faces before her. For a second, she wasn't sure if she could do this. But then her mouth started moving as if on its own and words were coming out. In these instances, it seemed her instincts always took over at times like these and this one was no exception.

As perfectly as she had rehearsed it, Relena gave her statement. Despite the amount of people attending and the cameras and the photography, the room seemed deafeningly silent to her. All she could hear was her own voice stating Earth's course of action. Their primary defense force, the Preventers, were going into outer space to help the colonies fight off the terrorist attacks and get their homes back. She heard gasps and a growing roar of questions from the paparazzi, but all of it was secondhand noise compared to what her senses were picking up.

How odd. In the crowd, someone was running towards her. He was a young man in a deep green jacket and he was making a bee line straight for her. Didn't anyone else see him? Was he invisible to them?

Turning her head, Relena saw someone else in the crowd. A man in a dark coat and hat stood up. In his hand, the shiny barrel of the gun winked under the bright lights. Relena's eyes went wide as time in her world slowed to a crawl. That gun was pointed at her.

Relena's next instinct was to turn to the person closest to her. That was Commander Grimaud. He was standing a few paces at her side and he met her gaze. He looked right at her. He looked at her and didn't move to help. It was then, Relena realized this man was never her ally and her heart told her that if a miracle didn't happen, she was going to die.

* * *

As he fought through the crowd, Wufei could see the man reach into his coat as he stood. He was almost out of time and he was so far away. He would never make it to the stage in time this way. Having no other option, Wufei jumped on the back of someone's chair and rebounded off it, nearly causing the poor woman sitting in it to fall backwards. With all his might, Wufei shot himself into the air and landed on the stage in front of a very startled Relena.

She looked like she wanted to say something, but Wufei didn't give her the chance. The second his feet touched the stage, he grabbed her arm, thrusting her behind him and shooting his own gun at the same time. The first bullet knocked the gun out of the offender's hand and the second hit the man in the heart, killing him instantly. Wufei's weapon then swung to point at Commander Grimaud who was reaching for a gun of his own. Wufei shot him in the shoulder before he could pull it out.

Relena stood there, gaping like a fish. The shots were so loud. There was so much blood.

"Run," a voice said to her. It was from the young man standing beside her. "RUN!"

Relena and Wufei were off like a shot past the curtains and through the back of the stage. Wufei had a firm grip on her arm as he fled. Relena was struggling to keep up with the faster young man. His pull was practically dragging her off her feet.

Down the hall they raced. Relena ducked as she heard shots firing after them. There were more assassins? Why wasn't any of her security trying to stop them? Where were they?

A door came up ahead and Wufei barreled through it, out into daylight. Relena gasped when they had only run a few feet before she was pulled down a hole in the street. There, in the sewer system below, she sat there as she watched Wufei replace the manhole cover above them. Her world was still spinning.

"Get up," Wufei ordered. "It isn't safe here."

Relena got up on shaky legs and was instantly pulled off again. The two were once again racing for their lives.

"What's going on?" Relena managed to ask.

"You have more enemies among you than you realize," was Wufei's answer.

"What do you mean by that?" Relena demanded.

Even though they were still running, Wufei turned his head to glance at her and Relena finally thought the face looked a little bit familiar.

"You have no idea what's going on and I don't have time to explain. From here on out, if you want to live, you better do what I say."

Something tight built in her chest as Relena came to a harsh realization. All her plans had gone horribly wrong and now, her life was in this young man's hands.

* * *

Duo sighed as he wandered around the big building. There wasn't a thing to do in this stupid place besides stare at his old Gundam. Of which, he still had no idea why those two old scientists had it, or even where they were at the moment. Felicia was gone as well. What was he expected to do around this place? He wasn't even sure where the door was to get out.

His meanderings, as always, took him back to the same spot and Duo frowned at it. Why did he always come back to that thing? It was the flight simulator. The one Felicia had used that supposedly had a ZERO System built into it. He had been told and he had verbally agreed it was a stupid thing to try, but why did he keep coming back to it?

Duo glared at the thing. It was taunting him; calling him to tempt his fate once more. He recalled when he had used it before; the extreme focus it had given him. That feeling of being able to do anything. Of course, it had never lasted. Once it reached its peak, it threw you into a void of insanity. It had done that to Quatre, once upon a time. And it was an experience Duo was sure his friend would never really get over.

So why then did he feel his curiosity building? What kind of idiot would walk into a trap, knowing it's outcome?

But there had also been Heero and Zechs. Two pilots who had supposedly mastered the ZERO System beyond its crippling affects. Could he possibly master it, too? And if he didn't, what was it going to hurt? He was stuck in a stationary flight simulator. What damage could it possibly cause?

"Ah, what the hell," Duo said out loud.

He opened the hatch and plopped himself in the seat. Once inside, he marveled how much the cockpit greatly resembled that of the Deathscythe. Probably the other Gundams as well. They were almost identical. Suddenly, Duo wondered why this thing had really been created.

Up above at the control panel, a hand reached out and switched the system on, closing the hatch and locking the pilot inside.

* * *

Felicia sat in front of the computer, curled up in the chair. She had been sitting there for quite a while, thinking about what had happened recently. After her late night visitor, she wasn't sure what to think any more. She especially didn't know why she had listened to the apparition or had done what it told her. She also didn't know what the message meant that she had sent out or how the ghost knew of that scrambling code.

What she did know, however, was who the message was sent to, though she wasn't sure why it was sent to him either.

Everything was just one big mystery and it left Felicia feeling out of sorts and wondering what she should do with herself now. Hence, why she was still sitting in front of that blank computer screen almost an hour later, feeling at a loss of her purpose.

In the silence, her ears began to pick up a noise. It was a whirring noise, like some sort of machinery powering up. The sound of it sent electric shocks through her veins. She knew what that sound meant.

Felicia was up off her chair and out of the room. She ran into the main area over to the awaiting flight simulation unit which was on, humming, and someone was inside. Felicia didn't ask, she knew exactly who was in there.

"Hey, what are you doing?" she demanded, pounding on the door.

"He stepped in it voluntarily," an old man's voice announced from above.

Felicia glared at the form of Professor G on the scaffolding above her.

"What level did you put it on?" she called to him.

"He is already a great Gundam pilot. He can take more than you can."

"I said what level is it on!" Felicia shouted at him, her anger reaching the boiling point.

The old man just grinned at her. "Now what kind of scientist would I be if I was afraid to push things to their limits?"

"Listen, you psychotic bastard! That guy's still recovering from his last ordeal. You can't go full force on him yet! Turn it off!"

"Not yet," the old man insisted. "I want to see how far he can go in that condition."

Felicia glanced over at the contraption. She could tell the person inside was thrashing around and she could hear muffled, startled cries. The system was having a field day, she was sure.

Felicia clenched her fists as she ran to where she knew was a crowbar.

"What are you doing?" Professor G demanded as he watched her. "Stop that!"

Felicia wasn't listening. She planted the bar in the seam of the door and starting putting all her weight and strength into trying to pry it open.

"You're ruining my equipment!" the old man yelled at her. "Do you know how long I've worked on that?"

"Then you better stop it or I'm smashing my way through any way I can," Felicia retorted.

She heard the old scientist grouch something under his breath before the machine powered down and the hatch came loose. Felicia hurried to open it and reached in, pulling out Duo's stunned body.

"Hey, are you okay? Say something. You alright?"

For a second, Duo looked like he was going to reply, but his only response came as he threw up out the contents of his lunch on the floor. Felicia frowned at the young man heaving on his hands and knees and then at the disgruntled, retreating form of the old man. He would not bother them for a while, now.

A thin look of pity covered Felicia's face as she squatted down next to Duo and patted him on the back. "All done?"

Duo's whole body was shaking and he looked almost as weak as the day she had found him. He moved his mouth as if to reply, but nothing would come out.

Felicia let out a heavy breath.

"You dumbass. I told you not to do it. Why aren't men ever satisfied with just a warning? Why must they always test it for themselves? Come on."

She put one arm around her neck and hefted Duo to his feet. Together, they made their way to the bathroom where Duo could clean up. His shirt was a mess and Duo was hardly any help. He seemed to be in a state of shock. Felicia has to help him remove his shirt and also help him hold the glass of water she got for him. Even after that, his eyes remained unfocused and his body was still trembling.

After thinking it over, Felicia decided it would be best just to put him to bed until he got over it. So, once more, Felicia hefted the taller body to his feet and half dragged, half led him to his room.

"Here you go," Felicia announced when they reached Duo's cot. "You can rest here until y–"

She was cut off as Duo suddenly wrapped his arms around her and they both fell onto the lumpy, grey cot.

"What the hell?" Felicia exclaimed.

What was this guy trying to pull? No man had ever put their arms around her before. Her body was stiff as a board in the unwanted embrace and she struggled and squirmed, trying to break free of the iron grip.

"Hey, let me go!"

Duo's arms were wrapped around her waist with his face pressed into her neck line. Felicia tilted her head to get a better view of him. Duo's eyes were wide open and dialated; fearful and unfocused as he clutched her. His body was still trembling.

_He's not seeing a thing,_ Felicia thought to herself. _And I doubt I'm going to be able to get out of this iron grip until he comes to his senses._

Reluctantly, Felicia sighed in defeat. There was nothing she could do about it and no one to blame for this predicament besides that stupid old man; who was probably still quite satisfied with himself in some other corner of the building.

It took a while, but Felicia slowly managed to make her muscles relax in the tight embrace. She still didn't like it, but she wasn't sure how long she would be stuck there and it made no sense to make herself sore over it. Minutes passed on and Felicia shifted, trying to find a comfortable position. She finally allowed herself to rest her chin on the top of his head. As her thoughts drifted off, she found herself stroking the thick head of hair.

She almost laughed at this. What was she doing? His hair was soft; like that of a little dog or something. And he did have those big puppy eyes. How funny. Felicia shook her head the best she could. Was she going soft or just crazy? Thinking about that, she hardly noticed when the grip on her began to loosen.

"Um...I feel kind of stupid now," Duo said into her shoulder.

Once free, Felicia pulled away and sat up on her elbows.

"Well you should," she lectured. "What were you thinking anyway?"

Duo rolled onto his back. "I dunno. I just wanted to sit in it. It was that old geezer who turned it on. I didn't even know he was there." He ran a hand through his bangs. "Don't worry, I feel like the world's biggest retard. I'm definitely not going through that again."

Felicia sighed. It was clear he felt very foolish about what had happened. It was no use to lecture further on the matter.

"Well, for what it's worth, you did a lot better than I," she offered. "It took me almost two days to recover from my first session. And it was on the lowest setting."

"Damn, that's tough," Duo sympathized.

Felicia nodded, then looked away, realizing she getting his sympathy. She didn't want any from him or anyone else. No matter what she had been through.

Duo breathed out loud as he turned his gaze to the ceiling.

"What the hell is that thing, anyway," Duo whispered. "It isn't like any ZERO System I've heard of. It's something new. I wonder if those old bastards know what they really have."

From the way he talked and the serious expression on his face, Felicia had to ask.

"What did you see in there?" she questioned in a hushed tone.

Duo never moved his gaze from the ceiling, but his face grew even more grave.

"You know how people say when you're about to die, your life flashes before your eyes? I saw the opposite. I saw my death and the time between then and now and how fast it's ticking away. A man who can count his own minutes cannot keep his sanity for long. It was the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced."

Felicia looked away. Duo glanced at her when she nodded slightly. His eyes went wide when he realized something.

"You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" he said as he sat up. "Those guys have made you do it a few times, haven't they?"

Felicia closed her eyes. What she had seen in her sessions still haunted her.

"It doesn't matter. I did it because I wanted to."

For the second time, Felicia was surprised to find Duo's arms around her. This time, he embraced her around the shoulders, pulling her to his chest. Felicia went stiff as a board again.

"Those guys don't care what happens to either of us," Duo said before Felicia could yell at him. "While we're here, we have to look after each other. If we don't, no one else will. So I promise I won't let anything happen to you, okay?"

Felicia almost smiled in spite of herself. How could someone who was just so deep and serious say something so childish? No one could really make a promise like that. It was like promising to live to be a hundred. There are just so many factors out of one's control.

"What makes you think you can keep a promise like that?" she asked into his chest.

From deep in his throat, she heard an ironic chuckle.

"I am a Shinigami whose days are numbered. I can bring about death where ever I go, but not my own. With this power, I can also let live those whom I wish. You will not die before me. I can't let you because I have to be there waiting when you cross over."

Felicia chuckled herself, relenting to his embrace.

"Why make such a promise to me? You hardly even know me."

Duo didn't reply. In fact, he didn't reply in such a way that, before Felicia fell asleep, she had to wonder if Duo had seen something else while under the ZERO system's influence.


End file.
